Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., February 18, 2008 Adar1 12, 5768 | | Israel Time: 08:10 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
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
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA President Mahmoud Abbas meeting ahead of Annapolis summit (GPO)
Last update - 08:07 18/02/2008
PM to Abbas: Israel won't undermine final status talks
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: PA, peace process, Israel 



Israel will not undermine negotiations toward a final-status agreement, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting in Jerusalem on Thursday.

"Israel will take no steps that would undermine the ability to reach a final-status agreement or that would delay the negotiations," Olmert told Abbas during their first meeting since the Annapolis conference a month ago.
Advertisement
The prime minister made the statement in response to Palestinian complaints about the announced tender for the construction of 307 new homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa. However, he did not promise that the tender would be halted.

According to one government source, "the sides resolved the differences that had been weighing on the talks and agreed to proceed with negotiations on the core issues." That is the term used to describe the thorniest disputes between Israel and the Palestinians, namely Jerusalem, refugees and borders.

"Both sides wanted to resolve the crisis and recognized that there is no point in stalling the entire process over such an issue," explained another senior government source.

According to that source, Olmert and Abbas agreed that the matter of construction in the territories, as well as in Jerusalem, will be discussed during the negotiations on the core issues.

The two also agreed to resume their biweekly meetings, and to have their negotiating teams meet again next week. At that meeting, the teams will seek to reach an agreement on a framework for talks on the core issues.

The Palestinians also raised the issue of a prisoner release, and Olmert told Abbas that Israel intended to "loosen" its definition of "blood on their hands," the euphemism used in Israel to describe Palestinians who were involved in murdering Israelis.

"We are considering the release of veteran prisoners who we are sure will not go back to terrorism, but there is still no decision on this matter," the senior government source said.

At the start of the meeting, Abbas expressed the Palestinians' opposition to further construction at Har Homa and protested the issuance of the tender. In response, Olmert said that "Israel will not construct new settlements, will not confiscate land and will evacuate the illegal outposts."

"Israel wishes to conduct the negotiations with goodwill," the prime minister added.

Two earlier meetings of the negotiating teams, headed respectively by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia, had gone nowhere, as the talks stalled over the issue of settlement construction.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned both Olmert and Abbas and asked them to use their meeting to resolve the impasse. "It is important to me that you progress," Rice told the two leaders, adding that they must not allow the differences between them to widen.

Related articles:
  • Rice: Har Homa homes harm talks
  • Palestinians slam Israeli move to build new homes in E. Jerusalem
  • Government officials: Har Homa row sparked by 'two bureaucrats'
  • The Har Homa test
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Independence day
    Kosovars rejoice as Kosovo declares itself an independent and sovereign state.
    Settling the score
    1/3 of W. Bank settlements are on Palestinian land seized for 'security purposes.'
      1.   Olmert to Jews - You Loose! Araba 1, Jews 0 06:10  |  smarter then olmert 28/12/07
      2.   Giving up on Olmert... 06:47  |  Awake 28/12/07
      3.   what olmert says 07:03  |  rm 28/12/07
      4.   #3 - there can be no peace between Islam and non-Islam! 07:54  |  redmike 28/12/07
      5.   How about ensuring PA lives up to its part? 07:59  |  Marwan مروان خوري 28/12/07
      6.   HaAretz is still using inaccurate information! 08:04  |  redmike 28/12/07
      7.   Haaretz Editor Asked US Secretary of State to "Rape" Israel 09:32  |  Joseph E . post 1 28/12/07
      8.   Haaretz Editor Asked US Secretary of State to "Rape" Israel 09:33  |  Joseph E . post 2 28/12/07
      9.   Israel`s leaders have no sense of Jewishness ! 09:56  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 28/12/07
      10.   ISRAELI LEADERS and CRIMINAL MIND ZIONISTS 10:02  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 28/12/07
      11.   Abbas began as a loser, and will end as a loser 10:06  |  Natallie Durson 28/12/07
      12.   what peace process ? 10:07  |  ravi 28/12/07
      13.   Israel may not undermine final status talks, but the Palestinians 10:19  |  Avihu 28/12/07
      14.   To Haaretz Censorship Room-Folks 10:22  |  Joseph E . 28/12/07
      15.   Encouraging signs of courage to resist Lieberman 10:40  |  Ivar 28/12/07
      16.   I don`t understand the understanding 10:43  |  S 28/12/07
      17.   "Israel will not undermine peaced efforts" 10:47  |  Akram Zekaria 28/12/07
      18.   Abbas Got 7 billion What Else Does He Need? 11:44  |  Mark Hamil 28/12/07
      19.   ONLY SOLUTION: GAZA TO EGYPT; W.BANK PARTITION WITH JORDAN 11:51  |  G. Marcus 28/12/07
      20.   This Is A Sham 12:11  |  Yaakov Sullivan 28/12/07
      21.   Arabs Claims Over Our Jewish Lands Sovereignty Exacerbate 12:21  |  Joseph E . 28/12/07
      22.   # 7 / # 8 Joseph E. 12:30  |  Swiss (Dino) 28/12/07
      23.   The Palestinians claim for a state is `harassment`. 13:11  |  Akram Zekaria 28/12/07
      24.   I agree with those who claim that 13:16  |  Avshalom 28/12/07
      25.   It`s product of emptiness 13:23  |  Paul 28/12/07
      26.   ravi eats punjabi cakes 13:31  |  guru nanak 28/12/07
      27.   Joseph E. You are always right. 13:33  |  Akram Zekaria 28/12/07
      28.   I Blame ISRAELIS/Certain JEWS For No Peace! YOU Do Nothing!!! 13:36  |  Proud Pal Defender 28/12/07
      29.   Agreed to Agree, this is cheap talk.! 13:37  |  Stephen. 28/12/07
      30.   Dino (Swiss) 13:40  |  domina 28/12/07
      31.   to Haaretz editorial staff & (swiss) Dino # 22. 14:00  |  Judah N. Wenkel 28/12/07
      32.   we wont talk about what we disagree on 14:08  |  we want our welfare 28/12/07
      33.   Israel won`t undermine talks ( hollow words!) 14:12  |  Chanalau, Tova 28/12/07
      34.   Atilla: IF Israel was a Zionist state, there´d be justice to all! 14:25  |  Alicia 28/12/07
      35.   #15 - please read #4 14:31  |  redmike 28/12/07
      36.   Don`t wonder why they resort to violence 14:45  |  Dorothy 28/12/07
      37.   Too late. Israel just murdered 8 people... 14:45  |  POP from ZioNaziStan 28/12/07
      38.   #20 Yaacov Using the Time/doing more harm than good 14:49  |  Dorothy 28/12/07
      39.   SAY WHAT??? 14:51  |  :O 28/12/07
      40.   SAY WHAT??? 14:51  |  :O 28/12/07
      41.   #19 - G. Marcus 14:52  |  MichaelF 28/12/07
      42.   #5 - Marwan 14:57  |  MichaelF 28/12/07
      43.   No undermining? Goodwill? 15:07  |  JW 28/12/07
      44.   PM to Abbas: Israel will not undermine eachothers welfare checks 15:19  |  get real 28/12/07
      45.   ISRAEL WANTS STATUS QUO NOT PEACE 15:21  |  JH 28/12/07
      46.   Abbas is cornered 15:32  |  Tosefta 28/12/07
      47.   re: Akram 15:35  |  Paulo 28/12/07
      48.   is yaakov sullivan a son of a pope 16:07  |  ignatius 28/12/07
      49.   criminal landau should be removed from haaretz immidiately. 16:19  |  vladimir 28/12/07
      50.   Hillary Rodem 16:35  |  NJG 28/12/07
      51.   S # 16 Understanding. 16:59  |  American in NY 28/12/07
      52.   YAWN 17:05  |  Danite 28/12/07
      53.   How stupid are you Abbas 17:06  |  Labhras 28/12/07
      54.   #19 G Marcus wishful thinking re expulsion 17:14  |  Labhras 28/12/07
      55.   #18 Mark Hamil confused 17:20  |  Labhras 28/12/07
      56.   Abbas is cornered 17:33  |  Tosefta 28/12/07
      57.   real core issue 17:42  |  Robeste 28/12/07
      58.   #21 Joseph E - would you like to lie down for a few minutes? 17:45  |  Don Camillo 28/12/07
      59.   But will do every thing to make sure it never happens 17:50  |  El-Birawi 28/12/07
      60.   PM to Abbas Israel won`t , Abbas to PM Pals will 18:38  |  Sal 28/12/07
      61.   Dear El Birawi, you are not fairminded 18:44  |  Jewboy 28/12/07
      62.   How to make friends and influence people..by Olmert 18:50  |  igco 28/12/07
      63.   #26 Michael 18:58  |  Observer 28/12/07
      64.   #28-ElBirawi 19:04  |  Observer 28/12/07
      65.   The WICKED LIE of Occuoation 19:10  |  Linda Rivera 28/12/07
      66.   One Million JEWISH REFUGEES MustBe Compensated in Land & Finances 19:16  |  Linda Rivera 28/12/07
      67.   Abbas is cornered 20:17  |  Tosefta 28/12/07
      68.   PM to Abbas: Israel will not undermine our welfare checks 20:25  |  i ain`t lying 28/12/07
      69.   TO MichaelF #26 20:38  |  Steve Beikirch 28/12/07
      70.   Israel built hundreds of thousands of homes for Jews 21:00  |  El-birawi 28/12/07