France, Britain and Germany want EU and UN to replace US as 'peace talks' facilitator

France, Britain and Germany have called on the United Nations and the European Union to present a 'peace plan' for the Middle East, and to effectively replace the Untied States as the facilitator of 'negotiations.'

Putting the job in the hands of the EU and the UN would sideline the United States, Israel's closest ally which has tried unsuccessfully for months to get face-to-face negotiations going, as well as Russia, an ally of the Palestinians.
The big question mark is whether the United States would allow the Europeans and UN to take the lead in trying to resolve the standoff, and that is likely to depend on whether the Israelis give a green light, the diplomats said.
The Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to President Barack Obama's target date of September 2011 for an agreement, but negotiations collapsed weeks after they restarted last September.
The Palestinians insist they will not resume peace talks until Israel halts settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in the 1967 Six Day War which the Palestinians want for their future state.

And that is one reason why negotiations aren't likely to resume despite the fact that the Europeans promise

The diplomats said the three European countries have delivered the message in key capitals - including Washington and Jerusalem - that if the parameters of a final settlement are endorsed, the Palestinians will return to the negotiating table.

YNet adds:

The diplomat said the United States will almost certainly never accept a unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence, or any other measure that does not include a negotiated peace agreement.
That's why the three Europeans are pressing for the parameters of a settlement which would hopefully lead to a resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the diplomat said.

The good news here is that the Europeans' votes in the Security Council are apparently not wrapped up yet.
Would letting the EU and the UN run the show for a while be a good idea? Well, maybe, if it means that the US will stop playing neutral and get out on our side like most Americans want to do.

via israelmatzav.blogspot.com

no outside power can decide the borders within the Mandate set by Great Britain. Europe is going to have to talk to itself.

Posted via email from noahdavidsimon's posterous