EU to push Israel, Palestinians to return to full peace talks
EU's top diplomat Catherine Ashton to meet Israeli, Palestinian leaders over next two days; EU is trying to extend exploratory peace talks beyond Thursday deadline.
By Reuters Tags: Middle East peace EU Europe Palestinian state Mahmoud Abbas Benjamin NetanyahuEU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders over the next two days to try to push exploratory peace talks beyond a Thursday deadline and back to full negotiations.
Negotiators from the two sides have held four meetings in Amman, Jordan, this month, but so far there has been no breakthrough that would permit resumption of the top level talks
that were suspended in late 2010.
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EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton |
| Photo by: AP |
A fifth meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and without compromise, the initiative could grind to a halt.
The European Union wants Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to set aside his 2010 demand that Israel call a total halt to settlement building in the West Bank before full
talks resume.
Israel is being urged to make confidence-building moves, which could include the release of long-term prisoners and easier conditions for Palestinians in Israeli army-controlled areas of the West Bank.
"The fact that negotiators are talking to each other face-to-face is encouraging," Ashton said in a statement.
"I'll be looking for positive signs from both sides that they are prepared to turn this progress into real gestures and negotiations."
Israel has signalled it is willing to carry on with the talks, meaning the pressure is on the Palestinians.
The so-called Quartet on Middle East peace diplomacy, which comprises the United States, the EU, Russia and the United Nations, said last September it wanted to see direct talks resumed by Jan. 26, and completed in a year.
But Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday that Jan. 26 "is not a sacred date" and that he believed the Quartet shared that view and that talks should go on.
New approach needed
Some analysts doubt whether the U.S. will be prepared to exercise its influence during a presidential election year. U.S. Republicans are eager to make inroads with Jewish voters, whose traditional loyalty to the Democratic Party has been tested by doubts about President Barack Obama's policies on Israel.
Other leaders have also expressed grave doubts about the peace process and urged a new approach.
"Should we accept a complete freeze between the Palestinians and Israelis, when the rest of the region is moving? We have to change the method," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in an annual address to ambassadors on Jan 20.
"The Quartet has failed. Let's stop kidding ourselves. We have to widen the circle of negotiations and involve everybody who can help resolve the conflict."
Former Palestinian peace negotiator Nabil Shaath predicted failure for the latest talks, which are intended to set out the terms of negotiation on the borders of a future Palestinian
state and its security arrangements with Israel.
"The government in Israel feels totally safe and they know that neither the Quartet nor any of its parties will put any pressure on them. Therefore, they are making fun of them and of
us as well," he told Reuters.
He said a 21-point proposal presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lacked any detail and was "rather a composition about peace done by a high school student".
Israeli officials are quoted as saying Abbas is preparing to let the process collapse again and "play the blame game".
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Another exercise in futility !!!
That's the reason for their preconditions. Theywant Israel to be forced into concessions and that won't happen. In the meantime, build, build, build!
by now EU should know palistinians dont want peace they want all Israel what does EU ask the palistinians to give and if palistinians get to a state look what is happening in near arab states fightings
All she envisions are tables. For negotiating with Iran (which is nothing but a shesh-besh time-gainer for Iran) and another one for Israel and... who exactly? Hamas? Fatah? Both? The ones that yell into a microphone "we must kill Jews", etc.? I suggest she installs a table to negotiate handing back Gibraltar to Spain, and Malvinas to Argentina, British Virgin islands to the natives and another dozen for the rest of the islands in the Pacific.
When we all know its in Israels best interest to stall peace for as long as possible! Settlement expansion and land expropriation cannot be done if there is peace! A FAIR PEACE NEVER?
The Israelis will not negotiate solely with the West Bank PalArabs. Hamas must sit at the table and at least hint that it is prepared to give up its goal of destroying Israel and pushing all Israelis except the Israeli Arabs into the sea. Without that concession there is no chance for a peace agreement. Who will disagree? If Ashton does not know that she is simply stupid. Why is it that everyone including Haaretz, Abbas, the EU and the US ignore that simple reality? Join the Idiot Club! Only Hamas seems to know. Of course they do not want peace. They want to get rid of Israel and will settle for nothing less.
get to the negotiation table without any preconditions...(both parties have reason for preconditions)...you have 2 months to reach an agreement...or the entire world, UN, EU, Quartet close the file and moves on to the next project...this is taking up to much world time, money and focus....lets shift the limited resources and focus on helping the millions of starving children
US Presidents seem to love the challenge of Middle East peace, especially Democratic Presidents. Carter, Clinton and Obama spent a great deal of effort in trying to arrive at a peace agreement between Israel and its neighbors. And while Carter was the most successful (in getting a peace agreement with Egypt), he couldn't go beyond this, while Clinton was a general failure and Obama seems to be on the same road. The big problem is that the US Congress is under the influence of AIPAC, and the President cannot pressure Israel too much, so he is ineffective. The damage the US' deep involvement causes is that while the US is involved, it pushes the Europeans aside and does not let them weigh in. It will be best to reverse the roles of these powers. Let the EU be in the driver's seat on peace, let them develop their own peace plan, send their own ME mediator and apply their own pressure, which is considerable in the economic field, and let the US just encourage them (secretly) and go along with their plans. The Europeans are more neutral about the conflict, and therefore may be more effective, to say nothing about the fact that they don't suffer from an Aipac-paralysis syndrome.
on the Israeli part to achieve peace. This are OK. The economy is growing , the settlers are growing in numbers and the settlements in area and u=infrastructure. No bombs going off in restaurants and buses . So why rush to a peace agreement . When things change and ralities become expensive , then their will be an urgency to restart peace negotiations and true offers will be on the table. I do not wish for this to happen , but this is where the area is heading to....
Anything less will be a joke.
Otherwise, he should make that final trip to Jordan.
after all, it was them who rejected every peace deal, ever since the original irrationality of refusing the UN partition plan in the mistaken belief that the combined armies of arab states can eradicate jews from the land of israel
its simple, why talk? impose it on isreal
Israel needs a very humiliating and devastating defeat in the hands of Palestinians. Then if a Jewish leader emerges from the dusts and destructions, only that leader will make peace with the Palestinians. Until that point of history arrives, Jews will have no shortage of arrogance and stubbornness.
Israel and the 'pals' have managed a peace without her. Now it is time for them to consolidate in the 'one-state sloution' according to Ezekiel 47:21-23 and that does not require any intervention by the EU.
What land left for Palestinians to negotiate to have a State? Settlements makes the W.Bank looks like a Swiss Cheese full of holes. Settlements which are spread all over the West Bank making it impossible to the Palestinians to have their own State.