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Last update - 20:10 28/01/2008
PM: Delay talks on Jerusalem to avoid derailing peace process
By Barak Ravid and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel, peace process 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that discussion over the future of Jerusalem should be held off until a later phase in negotiations with the Palestinians, to avoid the risk of derailing peace talks.

"The topic of Jerusalem is very sensitive in this regard," the prime minister told a Kadima faction meeting. "it is preferable to begin with subjects where there is a chance to reach understandings than to open with matters that have high initial opposition."

Olmert told Kadima members, "the negotiations will cover all the pending issues, but not necessarily with the same intensity. It's better to start with issues on which the gap between the two sides is not that wide."
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Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday in response to the suggestion that "all contentious questions were on the table, and that the Palestinians don't exclude any issue."

Meanwhile, a senior political source Sunday that the prime ministers is also concerned that talks on Jerusalem have the potential of breaking up the coalition, considering that the ultra-Orthodox Shas party has threatened on numerous occasions to leave the government if the topic is mentioned in negotiations.

"It is obvious to him how a solution to the question of the borders and the refugees would look like, and that it would more or less be in line with proposals that have been raised in the past," the source noted.

"On the other hand, on the question of Jerusalem, he [the prime minister] has many doubts and he is not inclined to adopt any of the solutions or ideas that have been raised in previous negotiations."

Paris talks

The question of Jerusalem was raised during talks held by Foreign Ministry Director General Aaron Abramovich in Paris a week ago.

Abramovich met with Jean-David Levitte, adviser to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on foreign affairs, and with other senior French Foreign Ministry officials, briefing them on the progress in the negotiations.

Haaretz has learned that the Abramovich told the French officials that it is highly likely that that the negotiations on Jerusalem will have to be postponed because of the domestic political crisis that they might trigger.

Abramovich last night denied having raised domestic political concerns in the matter of Jerusalem during his talks in Paris.

It also appears that U.S. President George W. Bush supports postponing talks on Jerusalem until the end of the negotiations. During his visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority two weeks ago, Bush released a statement in which he describes how he views progress in the negotiations. According to the U.S. leader, Jerusalem is "a difficult matter," politically and religiously for both sides, and describes a solution to the issue as the most complicated challenge of the process.

The political challenges on the issue of Jerusalem focus on Shas, even though sources in Olmert's office say that "the matter for Shas is not the discussion on Jerusalem but its final outcome."

However, Shas' Council of Torah Sages met Sunday to discuss the party's red lines on negotiations with the Palestinians and decided that "the minute they begin talking on Jerusalem, Shas will immediately leave the government."

Shas leader Eli Yishai briefed the council on his latest talks with the prime minister on the negotiations with the Palestinians, and said that he had been promised "there would be no freeze to construction in Jerusalem, Ma'aleh Adumim and Beitar [Ilit]."

Related articles:
  • Likud urges Shas, Lieberman to quit gov't over PM's 'intention'
  • Shas escalates threat to quit Olmert gov't over Jerusalem talks
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      1.   HERE IS A WONDERFUL SOLUTION FOR JERUSALEM : 04:12  |  MOE 28/01/08
      2.   Olmert and Shas 04:14  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 28/01/08
      3.   Here is a solution to Jerusalem 04:16  |  Jacob 28/01/08
      4.   Why does Israel refuse to allow Palestine to exist? 04:16  |  POP 28/01/08
      5.   No plan at all only..... 05:31  |  David 28/01/08
      6.   They keep on talking about slahing the Holy Land 06:06  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      7.   Shas`s attitude reminds me of when Menachem Begin at Camp David 06:48  |  Smadar 28/01/08
      8.   OUR Jerusalem Will NEVER Be Divided Again 07:12  |  Yishai Kohen 28/01/08
      9.   Moving around the Shas Ultimatum 07:13  |  Lemmings Hotline 28/01/08
      10.   J`lem will be last topic on peace agenda 07:13  |  thomas 28/01/08
      11.   Salami talks to leave Jerusalem to at end (gives Shas "pikuach ne 07:28  |  Dr. Aaron Lerner 28/01/08
      12.   Arab-Muslim World Collective Punishment 07:47  |  Joseph E . post 1 28/01/08
      13.   Arab-Muslim World Collective Punishment 07:48  |  Joseph E . post 2 28/01/08
      14.   Arab-Muslim World Collective Punishment 07:49  |  Joseph E . Post 3 28/01/08
      15.   #5 "Why?". - because it is known that there will not be peace! 08:05  |  redmike 28/01/08
      16.   Do not hate...participate...!! 08:05  |  Moses 28/01/08
      17.   Zechariah`s Historical Prediction, Today`s Unravelling Situation 08:25  |  Lavi 28/01/08
      18.   Why do the Arabs want Jerusalem? 08:32  |  Hastaroth 28/01/08
      19.   Mohamed Never Made Peace with The Jews , Even if the Qur`an 08:45  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      20.   Jerusalem is exclusively Jewish. 09:04  |  Harold Lane 28/01/08
      21.   POP - Israel NEVER said don`t exist... but Jerusalem 09:45  |  viking 28/01/08
      22.   Jerusalem `a Difficult Matter`? 09:46  |  Theodore 28/01/08
      23.   Post Traumatic Name Disorder : Olmert, 09:57  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      24.   I Won`t Trust the Safety Of My Child To The Olmert`s Politics 10:08  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      25.   To MOE # 1 - Give BACK East Jerusalem to the Palestinians 10:15  |  Dolly 28/01/08
      26.   Olmert is The Fifth Column Burning Down the House 10:24  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      27.   Kapoo Olmert and Gangs Are Demonizing Israel 10:30  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      28.   #4 palestine exists pop in jordan since 1922 10:31  |  v hardman 28/01/08
      29.   Don`t Like Holocaust , Don`t Make Holocaust 10:34  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      30.   J`lem should be the 1st, as well as the refugees problem. 10:34  |  mary for jews 28/01/08
      31.   #1,3 10:45  |  Fabio 28/01/08
      32.   POP WHY does Hamas the government refuse to allow Israel to exist 10:48  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      33.   Jerusalem 11:00  |  Patrick Warner 28/01/08
      34.   Israel has the upper hand to dilute the hatred 11:07  |  thomas 28/01/08
      35.   Jerusalem belongs to the World, not just Israelis or Palestinians 11:33  |  Lev Bronstein 28/01/08
      36.   To MOE # 1 - GIVE BACK East Jerusalem to the Palestinians 11:47  |  arrabella 28/01/08
      37.   Arab Jerusalem 11:49  |  Sam Diamond 28/01/08
      38.   Jerusalem belongs to the World, not just Israelis or Palestinians 12:05  |  thomas 28/01/08
      39.   #34 lev from the pages of pravda needs to study more 12:09  |  v hardman 28/01/08
      40.   Peter 31 12:24  |  Guido 28/01/08
      41.   let Jerusalem resident solve the problems 12:43  |  thomas 28/01/08
      42.   let Jerusalem resident solve the problems 12:43  |  thomas 28/01/08
      43.   Big mistake 13:10  |  Meir 28/01/08
      44.   THE FINAL STATUS OF EAST JERUSALEM 13:17  |  indrajaya 28/01/08
      45.   To Sam Diamond # 36 - Arab Jerusalem.... 13:37  |  Dolly 28/01/08
      46.   SAM DIAMOND 36 - Arab Jerusalem 13:50  |  Natasha 28/01/08
      47.   Olmert is a Hopeless Case..... 14:07  |  Dolly 28/01/08
      48.   already decided #34 14:21  |  stephen 28/01/08
      49.   Smadar No 7 14:23  |  Jackie 28/01/08
      50.   GUIDO. Israel has changed since 1988.Why hasn`t Hamas? 14:24  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      51.   One reason for not sharing 14:27  |  jackie 28/01/08
      52.   Exit strategy 14:38  |  Frank 28/01/08
      53.   Jerusalem should NOT be open for discussion 14:40  |  Brod 28/01/08
      54.   Thomas of Huntington Beach 14:40  |  jackie 28/01/08
      55.   Peter 48 14:44  |  Guido 28/01/08
      56.   saying that jlem is on the table while killing 15:45  |  bozhidar balkas 28/01/08
      57.   Jerusalem and the refugee issues will be last 15:56  |  Tosefta 28/01/08
      58.   A Word from G-d 16:29  |  Rozz 28/01/08
      59.   IT NEEDS INTERNATIONAL SUPERVISION 16:46  |  indrajaya 28/01/08
      60.   So "right of return" and final borders. 16:56  |  David II 28/01/08
      61.   East Jerusalem should not be a Problem. 17:00  |  Hamza 28/01/08
      62.   Palestinians still trying to destroy Israel in phases 17:05  |  Gili 28/01/08
      63.   It is certain that 1.500.000.000, will never 17:12  |  Mohamed Ali 28/01/08
      64.   What Pals say about refugees more fateful than Jerusalem 17:14  |  Sam 28/01/08
      65.   Is this what we get for taking care of the Jews ? 17:23  |  Libnanee 28/01/08
      66.   Joseph E´s worries 17:29  |  perplexed 28/01/08
      67.   But Olmert promised George Bush 17:32  |  Sven-Goran 28/01/08
      68.   Are we bring about our own extinction? 17:32  |  montgomery rosen 28/01/08
      69.   When The Jews accepted Partition of PALESTINE. 17:34  |  Lo Pin Cheung 28/01/08
      70.   Joseph E., lastly