SILENCE

There has been criticism in some areas in recent weeks about the position of Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu's position on Barack Obama's call for a two state solution to the Israel/Arab conflict - an independent Palestinian state next to a Jewish state.

Now that Netanyahu's speech at the weekend confirmed he was willing to negotiate on this basis, what has been the reaction from the "moderate" Palestinian leadership. According to PA spokesperson Nabil Abu Rdainah, Netanyahu’s speech "torpedoes all peace initiatives in the region." Salam Fayyad, prime minister in the Western-backed government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Netanyahu's speech "dealt a new blow to efforts to salvage the peace process, and has undermined the possibility of resuming negotiations based on its terms of reference." In other words, the Palestinian leadership is not interested in a peaceful resolution that involves Israel.

The reaction of the Israel bashing crowd in the media to this development - silence.