Middle East
The big white elephant in US-Israeli ties
After a year of wrangling and arms-twisting, the Palestinians finally agreed to four months of so called "proximity talks" in order to test Netanyahu's intentions. And the result: humiliation. The Israeli announcement of new settlement expansion in East Jerusalem on the eve of the talks was as humiliating to the Palestinian president as it was rude to Joe Biden, the US vice-president, who was visiting the country.