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PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas meeting Thursday with UN envoy to the Middle East Michael Williams in Ramallah. (Reuters)
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Last update - 21:40 23/08/2007
Abbas denies West Bank-Gaza route included in land swap plan
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent, and the Associated Press

The office of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday rejected a Haaretz report that Israel had proposed a route between the West Bank and Gaza Strip that would be part of a land swap in a bilateral agreement.

Israel proposed that safe passage for the Palestinians from the West Bank to Gaza be included in an exchange of territory in the framework of the agreement of principles now being formulated ahead of the upcoming regional summit.

"There is no secret channel and what was published about scenarios and expectations in some Israeli media is not true," said a statement from Abbas' office.

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It said Abbas has made his positions clear in meetings with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and repeated to the media. "These talks have not reached a level of negotiations with details, as what was reported in Israeli newspapers."

Under the terms of the plan, the Palestinians would receive control of the route, but Israel would maintain sovereignty and it will only begin to operate after the Palestinian Authority, under its present leadership, reasserts control over the Gaza Strip.

Jerusalem believes that the move will help Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad garner public support in Gaza, which will see the Hamas government as an obstacle in renewing communication with the West Bank.

A senior official involved in talks with the Palestinians said that the agreement of principles will not set out the details of the land to be transfered to the Palestinians in exchange for Israel's settlement blocs, but will reflect as wide as possible a consensus on the core issues with some ambiguity. The details will be hammered out in negotiations after the summit.

It is believed that for the Palestinians, safe passage is worth more than its nominal territory, and therefore this will be a central component in a territorial package.

Sources close to Abbas say the PA chairman has removed his objection to the establishment of a state with temporary borders following the signing of the agreement of principles, but has conditioned his agreement on international assurances of a timetable for the end of negotiations on permanent borders.

However, Palestine Liberation Organization chief negotiator Saeb Erekat denied Thursday that Abbas would agree to declare statehood on provisional borders.

Internal discussions in Israel along with talks with the Palestinians are formulating the following positions:

  • Borders -- The starting point is the separation fence, without additional areas slated for the expansion of settlements. This leaves 92 percent of the area of the West Bank in Palestinian hands. The final area of the new state will be larger than the area east of the fence, but smaller than the area proposed in the Geneva Accord.

    Among themselves, Israeli officials talk about the need to begin applying the principles of the Evacuation-Compensation Law on West Bank settlers. Two bills have recently been proposed on this issue, one by Colette Avital (Labor) and Avshalom Vilan (Meretz), and the other by Amir Peretz and Yuli Tamir (Labor).


  • Jerusalem -- According to a government official, Israel would be willing to transfer to the Palestinians at an early stage a number of neighborhoods and refugee camps outside the fence and in the area of the Seam Line. At a later stage, it would transfer more or most of the Arab neighborhoods.

    The guiding principle is similar to that of the Clinton Plan: Jewish areas for Jews and Arab areas for Arabs. The "basin" of sacred sites in the Old City would be administered jointly by representatives of the three religions, each responsible for its own sites.


  • Refugees -- Israel would recognize Palestinian refugee suffering and accept indirectly some responsibility for the refugees from the 1948 war. Israel would also take part in an international project to rehabilitate refugees in Palestine, in areas Israel would transfer to the Palestinians and in the countries where they are now living.

    Israel is basing its position on the clause in the Arab peace plan noting that a solution to the refugee problem is predicated on Israel's consent.


    • While the U.S. did not plan the agenda of the summit ahead of time, it sees the agreement of principles as key to the summit's success and is encouraging the parties to move ahead on it before the summit. The Americans believe the agreement greatly improves the chances that Saudi Arabia will take part in the summit, and will back Abbas and Fayad politically and economically. To connect the regional summit to the Saudi and Arab initiatives, the Saudis and the Palestinians want the summit to relate to the Israel-Syrian issue as well.
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      1.   Surface as a Stop Gap 03:12  |  Mark of Lewiston 23/08/07
      2.   welcome....to fantasy island 03:15  |  henry 23/08/07
      3.   Israel proposes W. Bank-Gaza route in land swap 03:20  |  Martin List,M.D. 23/08/07
      4.   No Referendum, No Validity 03:50  |  dyinglikeflies 23/08/07
      5.   Palestinians Should Maintain Sovereinty over WB land in any trade 03:52  |  Mr. Knowitall 23/08/07
      6.   ONLY SOLUTION: GAZA UNDER EGYPT; PARTS OF W.BANK LINKED TO JORDAN 04:05  |  G. Marcus 23/08/07
      7.   Settlement Proposal II 04:07  |  Reid 23/08/07
      8.   Settlement Proposal III 04:19  |  Reid 23/08/07
      9.   Israel`s leaders just don`t get it 04:21  |  Jon 23/08/07
      10.   Settlement Proposal IV 04:28  |  Reid 23/08/07
      11.   `Safe passage from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.` 04:31  |  Maureen Ann 23/08/07
      12.   Counter-claim 04:35  |  J K 23/08/07
      13.   Noone will be happy 04:36  |  Robert 23/08/07
      14.   Route to Gaza 04:46  |  Ron 23/08/07
      15.   # 6 DO u WANT EGYPT AND JORDAN TO BE OCCUPIERS? 04:52  |  MARCO 23/08/07
      16.   land swap 04:56  |  kiwi girl 23/08/07
      17.   Everybody Ignores the Elephant in the Living Room 05:03  |  Tod Zuckerman 23/08/07
      18.   a 2-state solution is inevitable. the aftermath, tho... 05:08  |  Richard S 23/08/07
      19.   Jordan is Palestine. 05:12  |  Chick 23/08/07
      20.   More Dangerous Proposals 05:13  |  Mark Hamil 23/08/07
      21.   What about arab and palestinian responsibility.................? 05:18  |  bernard ross 23/08/07
      22.   Walls 05:23  |  Lisen 23/08/07
      23.   fantasy world 2 05:24  |  paulo2006 23/08/07
      24.   Either marriage or divorce 05:27  |  A Bethlehemite 23/08/07
      25.   The starting point cannot be but UNSCR 242 and 338 05:29  |  Ben Alofs 23/08/07
      26.   Some interesting news 05:51  |  Tosefta 23/08/07
      27.   Why should we cut Israel in half? 05:51  |  Gili 23/08/07
      28.   # 8 Mr/Miss Reid`s classification system 05:58  |  Ben Alofs 23/08/07
      29.   REID 7,8 I will be interested as well 06:02  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 23/08/07
      30.   Whatever is the point... 06:04  |  Silvienne 23/08/07
      31.   Note to Israel: If it doesn`t hurt, you aren`t doing it right 06:07  |  Natallie Durson 23/08/07
      32.   This is all a SCAM - Shame on Israel 06:10  |  JDRoss 23/08/07
      33.   A deal predicated on Israel`s consent or coercion of free choice 06:12  |  Joseph E . 23/08/07
      34.   Don`t worry... 06:15  |  Joseph 23/08/07
      35.   #Reid, regarding Joseph`s tomb and the religious sites 06:22  |  Ben Alofs 23/08/07
      36.   Secret Peace Talks In Jordan? 06:26  |  ralphsrant1 23/08/07
      37.   #6,7 Reid, here`s my problem with this proposal 06:26  |  Johnboy 23/08/07
      38.   Olmert -Palestinian Deal 06:37  |  JD 23/08/07
      39.   west bank gaza route 06:41  |  marv 23/08/07
      40.   #27 Gili digs his heels in... 06:43  |  Johnboy 23/08/07
      41.   Wishful thinking 06:45  |  Peter 23/08/07
      42.   Arabs usually say they want to pick up 06:49  |  Joseph E . 23/08/07
      43.   A substantial development for the peace process... 06:58  |  Smadar 23/08/07
      44.   to kiwi girl 07:05  |  Peter 23/08/07
      45.   This enables Hamas to take over Judea Samaria 07:31  |  Lemmings Hotline 23/08/07
      46.   And Reality Says.... 07:32  |  Yosef 23/08/07
      47.   #37 Johnboy, exactly right 07:43  |  Ben Alofs 23/08/07
      48.   Land exchange of equal value and nature!!! 07:44  |  Rut Bat-Horin 23/08/07
      49.   #5 Mr. Knownothing - don`t worry 07:45  |  * BEN JABO 23/08/07
      50.   JD 07:45  |  Brad 23/08/07
      51.   #6 G. Marcus 07:49  |  * BEN JABO 23/08/07
      52.   "a timetable for the end of negotiations on permanent borders" 07:50  |  redmike 23/08/07
      53.   #30 No, not true Silvienne 07:51  |  Johnboy 23/08/07
      54.   #11 Maureen Ann 07:51  |  * BEN JABO 23/08/07
      55.   #15 Marco 07:54  |  * BEN JABO 23/08/07
      56.   #41 Peter - Toronto 08:00  |  * BEN JABO 23/08/07
      57.   #3 Martin List, M.D. 08:01  |  Ben Alofs 23/08/07
      58.   #35 Ben Alofs - I visited Mt. of Olives 08:19  |  * BEN JABO 23/08/07
      59.   I don`t understand why Arab villages in Israel 08:22  |  Yael 23/08/07
      60.   STOP THIS KIND OF PROVOCATION 08:28  |  indrajaya 23/08/07
      61.   The ISRAEL SUICIDE PLAN... 08:32  |  amir 23/08/07
      62.   Equitable & practical plan to sort out Hamas & end the occupation 08:37  |  Uzi 23/08/07
      63.   #37 - Yes, but.... 08:44  |  JES 23/08/07
      64.   Right 08:47  |  Colin Wright 23/08/07
      65.   #40 - No, Johnboy 08:47  |  JES 23/08/07
      66.   # 41 Peter @ Toronto / Canada 08:49  |  Joseph E . 23/08/07
      67.   The Doctor theory comes up trumps again! 08:50  |  Colin Wright 23/08/07
      68.   More Ha`aretz wishful thinking 08:53  |  JS 23/08/07
      69.   #37, #47 08:55  |  JES 23/08/07
      70.   Re #48 `Land Exchange` et al 08:56  |  Colin Wright 23/08/07
      71.   #54 Maybe something to do with them being ISRAELIS, Yael? 08:59  |  Johnboy