NEW MIDEAST TALKS HIT AN IMPASSE

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT SAYS ISRAEL
SPOILED ROUND OF TALKS ON BORDER

http://www.voanews.com - The latest international effort to revive the Middle East peace process has run into trouble. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are blaming each other after five rounds of exploratory talks this month in Jordan hit an impasse.  The aim of the talks is to revive direct peace negotiations that have been deadlocked for three years. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel did not offer detailed proposals on the future borders of a Palestinian state.  In remarks published by the Palestinian news agency, Abbas accused Israel of defying international guidelines for peace and foiling the talks. His comments were echoed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad.  “It is time to recognize the failings of this process.  It has failed and the process is in bad need of serious direction,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed a finger at the Palestinians. He told the Israeli Cabinet the Palestinians refused to even discuss Israel’s security needs. Netanyahu said the signs are not very good, but he hopes that the Palestinians “will come to their senses” and return to the negotiating table. The United States and European Union have also urged the Palestinians to continue the talks, saying negotiations with Israel are the only way to achieve a two-state solution and peace. President Abbas says he will make a final decision on whether or not to continue the exploratory talks after consulting with the Arab League later this week. For the past month, the sides have held Jordanian-mediated exploratory talks at the urging of the Quartet of international Mideast mediators - the U.S., the U.N., the E.U. and Russia.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders blamed each other for the impasse in newly launched peace efforts. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of spoiling the low-level talks, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinians “refused to even discuss” Israeli security needs. The goal of the talks has been to resume formal peace negotiations, with the aim of forging an agreement this year. We are running after peace, but without the association of sadhus it is just an illusory peace.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Those who are going down and down, going to hell and those who are ignorant, he doesn’t know what the life is. They think life is only to eat and drink and sleep and mate. No. No. Life is not like that. Life is to know the Supreme Lord, see the Supreme Lord, hear the Supreme Lord, sing the glories of the Lord, sing the glories of the sage. Then you will be happy. Then you will be satisfied. Then you can enjoy peace. Peace cannot be enjoyed without the association of a sadhu. Without the blessings of the sadhu, without the blessings of the sage we cannot enjoy peace, we cannot enjoy happiness. Only if you will be repeating of Divine Name you could become happy. All throughout the life you will be happy. You will be happy. If we hear one, we are chanting so many times namam, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj:
Lecture at Pula, Croatia on July 2, 1999
http://www.bvml.org/SBVPGM/P070299.html
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission - http://www.purimaharaj.com/