"Peace in the Middle East does not hinge on settlements. And in Israel, a country governed by democracy and rule of law, a country that has made and will still make sacrifices for peace, settlements are no obstacle to progress.
What the Palestinians need now is leadership that is brave enough to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, the nation-state of the Jewish people."
-- Asaf Shariv, Israeli consul general in New York. September 13, 2009
