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Netanyahu's Circus Tent

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Palestinian President Abu Mazen to meet him in a tent between Jerusalem and Ramallah: Will Abu Mazen rise to the challenge?     

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 23, 2013. Netanyahu's cabinet will vote on Sunday on a decision to keep most of Israel's newfound natural gas for domestic use, but to still allow enough exports to satisfy exploration companies seeking access to the global market. REUTER/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS ENERGY) - RTX10XWH
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, June 23, 2013. — REUTER/Baz Ratner

I rubbed my eyes in amazement when I read in The Washington Post on June 20 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was willing to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in a tent somewhere between Jerusalem and Ramallah, at any time. I checked several times to make sure I hadn’t surfed by mistake to an old edition of this important newspaper. 

Netanyahu’s remarks made front-page headlines in Israel. I had trouble believing that almost 20 years after an Israeli prime minister (Yitzhak Rabin) and the leader of the Palestinians (Yasser Arafat) shook hands on the White House lawn, the very willingness of an Israeli prime minister to meet with a Palestinian leader was still headline material.

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