In first official talks since 2001, PA blasts Israel for J'lem construction - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Thu., December 13, 2007 Tevet 4, 5768

Israel Time: 17:55 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Rosner's Domain

Diplomacy

Defense

Jewish World

Opinion

National

Print Edition

Advertising

Books

Arts & Leisure

Business

Real Estate

Easy Start

Travel

Week's End

Anglo File

Hanukkah



		Mideast envoy Tony Blair with MK Tzahi Hanegbi at the Knesset Wed. (Tess Scheflan)

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 00:11 13/12/2007

In first official talks since 2001, PA blasts Israel for J'lem construction

By Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press

Tags: Mideast envoy, Tony Blair

The first formal Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years got off to a rocky start Wednesday, with the Palestinians lambasting Israel for a new construction project planned in disputed East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said.

The Palestinians have said that newly announced Israeli plans to build more than 300 apartments in the Har Homa neighborhood threatened to undermine the talks. The Palestinians hope to establish the capital of an independent state in East Jerusalem.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said his delegation introduced the issue of Har Homa and expressed our outrage.

	Advertisement

"If you want to restore the credibility of the peace process, the Israeli government must revoke this order," he added.

Wednesday's talks, which lasted for about 90 minutes, went ahead despite calls by some Palestinians for a boycott over the plans for Har Homa. Palestinian leaders decided to attend the talks but to focus on pressing Israel to freeze settlement building.

"We demanded a complete halt to the settlement building ... We have agreed to meet again, nothing else," Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo told Reuters after the meeting.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said there was no "quick fix" to the decades-old conflict and the process will require "ongoing efforts."

"They raised their concerns and we raised our concerns at the meeting," Mark Regev said.

Erekat said the Israelis raised concerns about security issues, including ongoing rocket attacks out of the Gaza Strip.

Erekat said there were no immediate plans to meet again. He said Israeli and Palestinian officials would both attend a conference in Paris next week where donors are expected to pledge aid to the Palestinians.

"After Paris, we will contact each other to see where we take it from there," he said.

The teams, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia, had been scheduled to hold a high-profile launch of the talks at the ornate King David hotel, but decided to keep things low key and move things to an undisclosed location.

The meeting was expected to focus on technical issues, such as the priority list for the subjects to be covered in negotiations, and the task forces that will be established.

The Israeli team raised concerns regarding security problems in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Livni said the situation in the south was extremely grave, especially in view of Wednesday's Qassam attack.

She said Israel took a grim view of the involvement of members of the Palestinian defense forces in the attack in the West Bank about a week ago, in which an Israeli citizen was killed.

Both sides agreed at the end of the session to hold further talks at the gathering of the donor states in Paris next week.

UN envoy: Israel-PA must honor road map plan
The incoming UN Mideast envoy called Wednesday for Israelis and Palestinians to honor the road map peace plan and criticized Israel's construction project planned in disputed East Jerusalem.

Robert Serry of the Netherlands, who officially takes up his post in January, met Abbas at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah. He told reporters that last month's Mideast conference in Annapolis, Maryland, had given new hope for peace, but work must be done to improve the lives of Palestinians even while the sides are trying to hammer out an agreement.

"It's very important for both parties to really stick to their commitments under the road map," Serry said.

The U.S.-backed plan requires Israel to halt all settlement construction and the Palestinians to halt attacks against Israel as a step toward creation of an independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel.

Serry quoted United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying that if Israel went ahead with its stated aim of building more than 300 new homes in Har Homa, it would be unhelpful and contrary to international law.

Tony Blair to MKs: Israel must proceed in talks despite doubts
The Quartet's Mideast envoy Tony Blair told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Wednesday that he understands Israel's doubts regarding negotiations with the Palestinians, but urged the MKs present to proceed in talks.

Regarding the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, Blair said he understood that instead of peace, Israel got a "nightmare," which explains the reluctance to push through another unilateral withdrawal in the West Bank.

However, he maintained that the Palestinians are even more doubtful regarding chances for peace, and called on Israel to make sincere efforts, despite its doubts.

Blair rejected calls for funding first and foremost the Palestinian Authority's infrastructure and economy, saying that there must be simultaneous progress between the diplomatic and economic processes, which he said must be advanced in small steps.

Members of the committee were furious when Blair did not answer MK Limor Livnat's question regarding PA President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Rice to attend Quartet and donors meeting in Paris
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will fly to Paris this weekend for a meeting of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators and a Palestinian donors' conference, the State Department said on Wednesday.

Rice will be in Paris on Sunday and Monday to attend an international conference on supporting Palestinian institution building and reform, steps that are regarded as vital if the Palestinians and Israelis are to make peace.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Rice would attend the Paris donors conference as well as a meeting of the Quartet, which includes Russia, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations.

Related articles:

Hamas urges PA to boycott Israel talks in wake of IDF Gaza raid

Rice: Har Homa homes harm talks

Blair urges int'l donors to back PA's $5.6 billion economic plan

Olmert vows to 'forge historic path' toward peace with Palestinians

Blair: There won't be Palestinian state unless it is coherently run

Erekat: Palestinians will not accept Israel as a 'Jewish state'

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Bored with Israel
	A study shows U.S. Jews don't feel it's important to care about the Holy Land.


	League of their own
	The PA's first unit of policewomen direct traffic in the West Bank.




1.	May peace prevail	14:24	\|	Yossi	12/12/07

2.	" Tonys Folly"!	14:36	\|	Stephen.	12/12/07

3.	Outrage at Walks While Palesinians Support Genocide	15:56	\|	Straight Talk	12/12/07

4.	Pa Demands? !	16:09	\|	Michael	12/12/07

5.	We don`t need more talks we need action	16:22	\|	Gee	12/12/07

6.	The Arabs must make very painful concessions for real peace!	16:26	\|	Uzi	12/12/07

7.	Equitable and practicable Partition Plan that may work:	16:29	\|	Uzi	12/12/07

8.	outrage my patoot!	17:00	\|	dav zee	12/12/07

9.	Only the Americans can bring peace to Israel/Pal	17:04	\|	Michael	12/12/07

10.	Photo-op over	17:21	\|	Mark Lincoln	12/12/07

11.	The construction of settlements in East Jerusalem.	17:25	\|	Stephen Murray	12/12/07

12.	fatah and eretkat	17:30	\|	geroge	12/12/07

13.	Jerusalem belongs to Israel	17:40	\|	Steve	12/12/07

14.	Where is Bush & Rice?	17:40	\|	Skeptical	12/12/07

15.	Israel protests rocket attacks during talks !	17:53	\|	Yackov	12/12/07

16.	cause and effect?	18:12	\|	Murray	12/12/07

17.	PA Crap	18:16	\|	Brod	12/12/07

18.	you quislings when will you stop this charade?	18:18	\|	lakshmi	12/12/07

19.	Reply to Stephen Murray (Post No. 10)	18:33	\|	Johnny Weintraub	12/12/07

20.	Peace who?	18:39	\|	Pal	12/12/07

21.	Peace talks? hah	19:19	\|	American pie	12/12/07

22.	Help PA return to their Egyptian homes.RM. violates UN Human Rts.	19:43	\|	sam	12/12/07

23.	Haaretz journalism	19:50	\|	Briton	12/12/07

24.	No need to meet until they halt settlements expanding	20:08	\|	Tamir Palestine	12/12/07

25.	"official talks"	20:11	\|	ljf-canada	12/12/07

26.	There can never be separate Arab polity west of the Jordan!	20:14	\|	Uzi	12/12/07

27.	Straight Talk, Israel has and still is committing Genocide	20:41	\|	anti-racist	12/12/07

28.	Israel must abandone plans for genocide	20:53	\|	Palestinian	12/12/07

29.	Jerusalem construction	21:33	\|	Chris	12/12/07

30.	Illegal construction	22:28	\|	Dudka	12/12/07

31.	Freeze settlements all you hear these days RIGHT ???	23:02	\|	M. S.	12/12/07

32.	East Jerusalem	23:27	\|	Aaron	12/12/07

33.	#11 Stephan Murray	00:36	\|	David ben Avraham	13/12/07

34.	what east jerusalem??	01:46	\|	peter	13/12/07

35.	#29 Dudka	01:56	\|	Boycott	13/12/07

36.	Palestinian #27	02:50	\|	Gee	13/12/07

37.	FAIR EXCHANGE - MORE OR LESS	03:07	\|	* BEN JABO	13/12/07

Today Online


	Document reveals progress on core issues at Camp David
	Responses: 116


	Rosner: U.S. report on Iran should have been tossed, not published
	Responses: 44


	Russia: Deal reached with Iran on nuclear plant construction
	Responses: 25


	Avineri: U.S. only effective on Mideast conflict in war or talks
	Responses: 24

Rosner's Domain

Who believes in intelligence reports?

American Jews are losing interest in Israel

Guest: Redivision of Jerusalem will lead to terrible bloodshed

3 'close' Orthodox for every 'close' Reform (What To Read)

More Headlines
17:54 Russia: Deal reached with Iran on nuclear plant construction


15:11 Document shows progress on core issues at Camp David summit


17:07 Red Cross: Israel worsening Palestinian humanitarian crisis


17:25 Woman hurt after Qassam rocket directly strikes Sderot home


17:42 Interior Ministry to close down Ethiopian aliyah operation


17:35 Two brothers from Netanya indicted for raping younger sister


12:38 Report: N. Korea gave Hezbollah aid when IDF quit Lebanon in 2000


16:20 Tony Blair: Israel, PA in sync on repairing Palestinian economy


14:17 Teachers' union head: We have achieved the goals of the strike