Israel needs to tackle core issues for peace to be in sight, Palestinian official says
Speaking in wake of the deadly West Bank attack, the head of the PA's U.S. mission expects settlement freeze to continue to be a decisive negotiations topic.
By Natasha Mozgovaya Tags: Israel news Middle East peace PAWhile Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went out of his way to try and convince accompanying reporters that he had every intention to genuinely seek out peace in upcoming direct talks in Washington, the mood in the Palestinian camp was decidedly more somber.
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The PLO's U.S. Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat |
| Photo by: Natasha Mozgovaya |
The Palestinian delegation to the peace talks, already apprehensive after the United States had made it clear it would not, as the PA had wanted, condition peace talks with a continued freeze of settlement construction, grew even more timid in the wake of Tuesday's deadly West Bank shooting attack, with few officials making themselves available to the media.
In a statement issued by his office on Tuesday, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned the attack, which was claimed by the armed wing of the Hamas Islamist movement which governs the Gaza Strip, saying the attack went "against Palestinian interests."
A notable exception to the apparent Palestinian low profile, however, was the head of General Delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the United States, Maen Rashid Areikat, who expressed Palestinian pessimism coming into negotiations, telling Haaretz on Tuesday the Palestinians were entering nearing peace talks "with caution."
"A lot of work is ahead of us – and these are two critical days because it will provide us with sense where are we heading," Areikat said.
Answering to whether or not the Palestinians thought Israel genuinely sought to achieve peace in upcoming talks, Areikat said that "the more we see their willingness to discuss the core issues, rather than act on the ground in a way that undermines these negotiations – the more we will become hopeful that these negotiations will lead to some kind of results."
When asked whether the Palestinians were pressured to give up their demand to extend Israel's settlement freeze, the PA official said he wouldn't "characterize it as pressure – there is a limit on how much pressure you can exert on a party. And for us the issue of settlements is a fundamental issue, because it’s something you can see."
"Ordinary Palestinian can see the settlement activity going on the Palestinian territories, and then they wonder if the Israelis are serious about the negotiations and giving back this land for us to build our own state," Areikat told Haaretz.
"If yes, why do they build on this land? Or us this issue is critical. It will send the clearest signal about the Israelis intentions. That’s why we cannot negotiate if they continue building."
Referring to reported attempts to find a "creative formula" around the settlement freeze, the PA official said the "Americans are talking to the Israelis on this issue – the Palestinians are not part of these discussions."
"We made our position clear to the administration. We have not being fully informed about the point they reached with the Israelis on this issue," he said, adding that the Palestinians would try to make it clear to the Israelis that they could not talk the negotiations if they will continue building settlements."
"Our leadership is already under pressure, from mainstream Palestinians, from Fatah, about the wisdom of going into these negotiations," Areikat said.
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Why would Israel build settlements only to the land back to the Palestinians? Ending the contruction freeze will undermine the authority of the only moderate Palestinian faction. Once they're gone only radicals remain. And we all know what they'll do.
97.2% of the conflict will be over once the Muslim-Arab leadership states, in Arabic, Hebrew and English, its acceptance of Israel's RIGHT to be, to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Will the Obama/Clinton/Mitchell team be able to resolve this predicament by convincing the Muslim-Arabs to accept Israel's legitimacy, to internalize it and to demonstrate to the world that it has...?? P.S. The Jewish people, within and without its nation-state of Israel, is hopeful, indeed very eager to finally see an accommodation of peaceful coexistence between Arab and Jew, between the Muslim-Arab world and the nation-state of the Jewish people. Do the Muslim-Arabs feel the same...??
...to this this leadership's refusal to accept a peace treaty as the "end of the conflict", why would any government in Israel be willing to take additional risks towards an accommodation of peaceful coexistence between Arab and Jew, between the Muslim-Arab world and the nation-state of the Jewish people...?? Does the President of the United States of America understand this reality? Does his Secretary of State? Sadly, I have my doubts about that...!!
And tell the world to screw.
If israels balls were any bigger they would not be able to enter the room to start the pease talks.. as for screw the world , well they have been doing that for awile now and its just not working, its time for plan B lets give peace a chance.
The settlers build to prevent peace. Some politicians agree. They want it all, just like Hamas. Other Israeli politicians build or issue permits to make it look like they are making painful concessions. Pain for the settlers, not the politicians. Palestinians are correct to question the Israeli politicians motives. Netanyahu has not prepared Israelis, and in particular settlers, about making any concessions. No politician will make any personal sacrifice. Look at Haniya and Lieberman. Neither will give up anything if some ordinary person is there to sacrifice for them.
addressed to Maen Rashid Areikat, Abbas and Fayyad, I would also like to discuss and be clear on "core issues" in ref to what happened with the murders of four innocent people today what If Hamas is still in power in Gaza in a year or two, still threatening to take over the West Bank, does Israel nonetheless have to allow creation of a Palestinian state? Only Barack Hussein Obama or his successor might know the answer to that.
All the recent problems that Israel has (including suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and kidnappings) were created by the left wing. The left wing Israeli government gave guns and lands to the Arabs (Palestinians). Then, the Arabs killed the Israelis (Jews). Then, Israel retaliated. Then, the world blamed Israel. As a result, so many Israelis have been killed and maimed needlessly, and a lot of money has been wasted. In addition, Israel lost a big chunk of its prime land, and the little country of Israel became even smaller. Then, the left wing blamed the right wing for all of these. Furthermore, the left wing Israeli government offered citizenship to the Muslims/Arabs in 1948, just after the war when Muslims/Arabs killed 1/5th of the Israeli Jews. Now they are breeding like rabbits and soon they will become the majority in the State of Israel. Once Arabs/Muslims become the majority in Israel, then they will join their comrades in Gaza and the West Bank and the rest of the Arab/Muslim world and will slaughter the Jews. Therefore, there will be another genocide of the Jews because of the actions of the left wing. It is not the question of if, but it is the question of when.
your part of the problem, there is alway 2 sides to every story in Israel there are dozens of sides. The far rights idea for pease is to force the arabs out keep all the land for the vision of a (Jewish) state. I can't see the world going along with that and if you think you can make it with out world wide suport to some degree you should take a moment and look into you future as the counrtys around you become better armed, Isreal is a small target the is more and more becoming with in range. Pease is the only path
If, as I fear, Israel disappears it will be a result of the arrogance and intransigence of the settlers and their Likudnik supporters.
Israel never discusses "core issues". The reason for this is that every single core issue will require a concession on the part of Israel. More than one of these concessions are considered "deal breakers" by Israel and the ones that are not considered deal breakers are still very important and still require an Israeli concession. Not only won't Israel talk about core issues, they won't even talk about talking about core issues.
Olmert and Abbas discussed core issues. Core issues were discussed at Taba - Jerusalem, refugees. Erekat has said they have discussed core issues with previous leaders and the basic framework of an acceptable agreement is known.
The fact that you ignore the brave concessions delivered by the more hawkish of Israeli leaders Rabin, Sharon, Olmert in the name of peace tells us you simply hate Israel regardless of our moves toward peace. Now more brave leaders come forth and you just trash us rather than pray for peace... I pray for you Natalli.
Are you looking for concessions by the pals. freeze palestinian settlement expansion in tel aviv, or negev? palestineans have nothing to give to israel....remember israel is the occupying force here.
ND makes things up as he/she goes along. Truth takes a backseat to the "cause" That's what propagandists do
Randy, don't pray for this evil woman. She is a Hamas/Iranian agent who wants nothing to do with Israel, no peace, only its' destruction. She will go straight to hell, but she may be kicked out of there. I hope Haaretz prints this as everybody should know.
Israel is been talking and talking for 10's of years, settlements increased by 200% in the past 10 years, the "West Bank" is 25% less in size nowadays than it was 10 years ago. So, let them keep talking "Core Issues". I pray for all of us "Randy".
Natallie Durson let me explain it to you in simple terms: FOLLOWING THE LAW IS NOT A CONCESSION ITS AN OBLIGATION, SOMETHING ISRAEL ACTUALLY OBLIGATED UPON ITSELF BY AGREEMENT AND BEING MEMBER IN THE U.N.
Randy you have same problem as Natallie, its not CONCESSIONS its OBLIGATIONS.