Russia accuses US of promoting ties between Israel and Arabs before Israeli-Palestinian peace...

LTC Eugene Chu Russia would Never Pass Up that Propaganda Opportunity.

LTC Eugene Chu
..."The U.N. envoy said Secretary-General António Guterres is also “deeply troubled by the unrelenting expansion of Israeli settlements and settlement outposts” in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with over 10,000 housing units advanced in just that three-month period.

Wennesland was reporting on implementation of a December 2016 Security Council resolution that also called on all countries to distinguish in their dealings with Israel between its territory and the territory it has occupied since the June 1967 war. He cited U.S. State Department guidance on June 26 that scientific and technological cooperation with Israel in such areas "is inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy.”

As for launching peace talks, Wennesland noted al-Sudairi’s appointment and the statement after an Aug. 14 meeting of Egypt’s president, Jordan’s king and the Palestinian president. It noted the importance of Israel halting all settlement activity and underscoring that a “just and comprehensive solution” to the Palestinian cause is key to stability in the region.

On the sidelines of last week’s meeting of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, the Arab League, European Union, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan held a ministerial meeting on Sept. 18 to “discuss practical ways to reinvigorate the Middle East Peace Process,” Wennesland said.

France’s U.N. Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere expressed support for their agreement “to prepare a package of measures that will benefit both Palestinians and Israelis once a peace agreement has been signed.”

“This initiative should enable us to create the necessary incentives for the resumption of negotiations,” he told the Security Council."