IT CAN'T BE THE PEAK OF BATTLE...:

Defiant Abbas Reiterates Conditions Before Talks (Howard Schneider, 10/11/09, Washington Post)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday seemed to distance himself from U.S. efforts to restart peace talks and defended his recent handling of a report on war crimes in the Gaza Strip in a defiant televised address meant to boost his political standing amid growing criticism. [...]

Under criticism for a series of perceived concessions to the United States and Israel in recent weeks, he also used the speech to deliver a harsh criticism of Israel, saying that recent clashes around Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque and construction in Arab neighborhoods of the holy city amounted to an effort to "erase the Arab and Muslim identity of Jerusalem." He said that he would push for the prosecution of Israeli troops for war crimes during the winter's three-week war in the Gaza Strip.

"We are at the peak of this terrible and awful battle," Abbas said...

...the UR just won the peace prize!

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 12, 2009 5:47 AM