nhk's senior commentator and former middle east correspondent interviewed mahmoud abbas. he spoke to our sheri ahn about the palestinian initiative. >> so what demands did the palestinian president make in his letter? >> i asked president abbas about that. he said many of the demands palestinians have made for years. >> welcome to japan again. i'm very happy to see you again. >> thank you. >> this is the main issue that the israelis should seize all kinds of settlement activities and at the same time recognize the borders accordance to six to seven borders. if they accept this, of course, we will. activities in the west bank is endangering the two-state solution. >> building settlements is illegal according to international laws. and expansion of israeli settlements means eroding territories slated for the future palestinian state. that would make an independent palestinian state more difficult. so abbas said israel must put an end to expanding settlements totally. >> but will the israelis ever agree to that? >> i don't think so. netanyahu's main support comes from the rig

a spokesperson for palestinian president mahmoud abbas on tuesday urgedsrael to stop all settlement construction. abbas sent a letter last week to israel prime minister benjamin netanyahu saying all settlement activity must stop before the peace process can resume. in washington, state department spokesperson victoria nuland said the u.s. was concerned about israel's move. she said the u.s. does not consider the decision helpful to the peace process. nuland said her country has raised the issue with israel. >>> u.s. special envoy for middle east peace david hale is in the region trying to revive the peace process. >>> people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenging of the 2011 disaster, but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." >>> experts warn a nuclear plant in central japan may be sitting on an active fault line. authorities have ordered a new round ofionis at the tsuruga power plant. the reactor is alr

president arafat appoints mahmoud abbas as prime minister without any real constituency.nd after standing back for two years, u.s. president george w. bush specifically calls for a palestinian state as part of the so-called "roadmap for peace." squeezed between hamas on one side and jewish settlers on the other, moderates on all sides wonder if these are the men to finally make jerusalem the capital of two states. in the region of northern africa and southwestern asia, turkey is one of the most strategically located countries in the world. americans learned why when turkey did not allow the u.s. access to invade neighboring iraq, despite nato membership and an offer of $6 billion. but turkey was torn, as they are on many other issues. are they european or asian? are they secular or islamist? are they democratic or authoritarian? are they urban or rural? here we explore the regional geography of turkey and its largest city. half european, half asian, istanbul is the cultural and commercial heart of turkey. it's a city of great contrasts. the traditional shops in the grand

and the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu said recently to mahmoud abbas if you do a deal with abbas then there's no more talking. these are the issues they are grappling with right now. >> we have time for one more question. [inaudible] >> i had the most extraordinary room with a view to give birth to both our daughters. a very special place. okay. and thank you very much. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> s.c. gwynne's, "empire of the summer moon" tells the story of the four year battle between comanche warriors and the u.s. army and white settlers. the author spoke at this year savanna book festival. this is 45 minutes.ank >> hi, everybody. thank you for coming. i want to talk this afternoon about how i came to this book or have the book came to me, which in some ways was a simultaneous event or how i became of the 25 year in journalism and several attempts on the decides he wants to be in historian. not only that but he wants to write about comanches and the great plains, which are about a far as connecticut and thehow frozen moons of jupiter.empts at i won't bore you

and in fact, what you do when you continue settlement growth is you make people like mahmoud abbas lookhmoud hamas is running the palestinian authority in the west bank, and he said we will build the institutions of the palestinian state and that will lead us toç a palestinian stat and there's a lot of unrest -- >> arabs, 2003, king abdullah of the saudi, he called on israel and he said 57 arab countries are willing to acknowledge israel, recognize israel. the only thing we ask you as a government to withdraw from the west bank and give the palestinian the 22% that you signed as israel in the peace agreement in oslo. >> and they mentioned that. >> again they repeated that in 2007, twice. the whole arab countries, the arab league. you know, asked israel twice, saying we are willing to recognize you. as governments, recognize the government and the only thing we ask you again to give the palestinians a little bit of land and -- >> that would mean -- never accepted. >> jerusalem, a red line. >> not ehud barak. >> you brought up how there's this lobby that affects congress, but not so much

and the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu said recently to mahmoud abbas if you do a deal with abbas then there's no more talking. these are the issues they are grappling with right now. >> we have time for one more question. [inaudible] >> i had the most extraordinary room with a view to give birth to both our daughters. a very special place. okay. and thank you very much. thank you. >> thank you. [applause]the savannah book festival. [applause] hello. thank you for coming by one to talk this afternoon how i came to this book or how the book came to me which sometimes is the simultaneous even enter how a connecticut yankee public career in journalism and failed attempts at fiction suddenly decides he wants to be a historian. but not only that he wants to write about comanche in the great plains which is as far from connecticut as the frozen moons of jupiter. will not a boy you of the details of my past but to put it as briefly as possible i had my little epiphany in the spring of 1970 per garbus just admitted to princeton university and i was traveling there for a weekend wher