JD: What about this report coming out Russia? They want to host Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas the President of the Palestinian Authority and of course Netanyahu the Prime Minister. They want to host them for peace talks in Russia. Do you think that will ever come about?
DD: Well Jimmy like I said last week you mentioned the European Union possibly stepping into the peace role. I mentioned the Palestinians are saying the US is now totally un-creditable and they don’t trust US mediation at all so they won’t sit down and even discuss this peace plan that President Trump is going to reveal. So others are stepping in. Vladimir Putin has been increasing his activity throughout the Middle East, with the Saudi’s, with the Egyptians, some of our other allies, making some noises towards Jordan. And yes the Palestinians say the Russians could be a negotiator here. Of course since I’ve been saying for several years the chances of a peace program right now taking any form are nearly zero mainly because of Iran and all of the things they’re doing. Jimmy there’s just no way the Palestinian conflict is going to settle down. The Russians can try and others but it’s not going to go very far.
JD: Well even the US peace plan put forward by Donald Trump according to a report coming out from a Saudi journalist, he said that the plan calls for Jerusalem to be divided. That’s an absolute non-starter for the Israeli’s is it not?
DD: It is Jimmy but we’re getting confused reports on that. So I think we can’t really say what it’s going to say. I think the most creditable reports don’t re-divide it but they do give the Palestinians some autonomy in the Arab neighborhoods. Now that would be a non-starter for Prime Minister Netanyahu for sure so I just don’t see it happening anywhere. As I mentioned last week it seems to be a financial package of aide that would be offered to not just the Palestinians but to Jordan and other regional actors and throw enough money at it and maybe it’ll resolve. But that’s been tried before Jimmy and didn’t go anywhere and I don’t really see it happening now.
JD: David Dolan discussing the attempt by both Russia and the United States to hold the peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
