Israel: Palestinians stalling kickoff of proximity peace talks
Source in U.S. administration says it now appears a Palestinian announcement will come only on Saturday, after PLO meet.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Israel news Middle East peace PalestiniansSenior officials in Jerusalem on Tuesday said they were dissatisfied that the Palestinians had not yet announced their agreement to begin proximity talks.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Barack Obama, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York in September 2009. |
| Photo by: Reuters |
According to a senior government official in Jerusalem, the Palestinians were delaying the announcement for no real reason.
A source in the U.S. administration said that at this point it appears that the Palestinian announcement will come only on Saturday, after the meeting of the PLO Executive Committee.
A senior official in Jerusalem said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team had made all necessary preparations to jump-start the peace process, and they are ready to open the proximity talks at a meeting scheduled for today with special U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell.
“We hope we will be able to start the proximity talks soon, and that the Palestinians will not use delay and avoidance tactics,” the government source said.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has warned for a whole year against wasting time, and has repeatedly called on the Palestinian Authority leadership to renew the peace process without delay,” the official said.
Mitchell is scheduled to arrive at Netanyahu’s office at 5 P.M., accompanied by his deputy David Hale, as well as Dan Shapiro, senior director for the Middle East and North Africa at the American National Security Council.
Netanyahu will be there with his advisers Yitzhak Molcho and Ron Dermer.
Although the PA’s official announcement of the opening of talks may come only on Saturday, Mitchell is expected to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday morning. At noon Friday, Mitchell is to meet with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition leader Tzipi Livni.
Officials in Netanyahu’s office, Mitchell’s team and Abbas’ close associates seemed keen to lower expectations for the first round of talks, saying they were merely initial contacts.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the chief of research at the Intelligence Corps, Brig. Gen. Yosef Baidatz, said Abbas doesn’t believe Netanyahu and doesn’t think he could be partner to an agreement that would meet Palestinian needs.
“Abbas is preparing the ground for the talks to fail,” said Baidatz. “He believes the failure will expose Israel’s true face. He is pessimistic about the outcome and believes the ball is in Israel’s court.”
Baidatz noted Abbas was interested in an agreement, but had little room to maneuver on the core issues of the conflict. “We don’t discern any real attempt by Abbas to get flexible on the essential issues,” Baidatz said. “He will bring the same positions he used in talks with the previous government.”
On Wednesday morning, the cabinet will be presented with a “Palestinian Incitement Index,” prepared by a team chaired by Strategic Affairs Ministry deputy director Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kupperwasser. The cabinet will plan its diplomatic activity in an international outreach campaign in response to the index.
A senior government official told Haaretz that incitement would be discussed with Mitchell during the proximity talks. Israel will demand the Palestinians work to prevent media incitement against Israel, and “educate for peace.”
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The talks are underway ,already. Netanyahu and Mitchell have talked and Abbas and Mitchell have talked. This isn't the 'Paris Accords' sessions where years were spent on the shape of the table issues. Why indirect? Direct talks have been a failure for decades. Time to try something different.
#1 said: "Can someone please explain how building settlements on occupied land is compatible with peace?" Answer: easy, exactly the same way Arabs live in Israel, and are Israeli citizens. About the article, I don't believe this is the time for peace. It is getting too dangerous out there in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran for peace to stick. So peace is premature at this stage. There will have to be war to teach these enemies of peace a lasting lesson the Six Day war taught the Arabs.
Anyone surprised? Peace talks might mean they get a Palestinian State, meaning they might have to recognize Israel, might have to stop attacking Israeli civilians, might have to try to govern themselves (ha ha), might have to grow up and face reality.
Its not going to work .... not at this life time ...
Some things are simply not meant to be. This is one of those things.
the palestinians are not known for their deep understanding of the constitution.nor are they known to be sticklers for the law.
Israel does not even have a constitution, "since the Constituent Assembly and the first Knesset were unable to put a constitution together," reads a statement on the Israeli Parliament (Knesset)'s website. Furthermore, Israel does not have a bill of rights and has a history of legislating unequal civil rights, privileges and access to public funds. And its pursuit of a so-called "Jewish State" is an apparent discrimination against the non-Jewish.
So let me fast forward and tell you how this is all going to play out in the next few weeks... Abbas will announce on Saturday that they will resume talks, and on the first day they begin talks, Abbas will IMMEDIATELY jump to the issue of Jerusalem. The Israeli Team will want to talk first about security, water and other matters, and Abbas will stomp his foot and walk out of negotiations, saying that "because" Israel did not want to talk about Jerusalem first, Israel does not want peace. This is all a tactic to force the world in trying to force Israel to force a Jerusalem slicing in the middle for Palestine as it's capital. It's only an "illusion" when Abbas comes to the negotiating table. After the first 10 minutes of non-movement of Jerusalem, he's out, back to whining to the International community that Israel does not want peace since it won't talk about Jerusalem in the first 10 minutes. Think I'm wrong? Let's find out.
Every time there is a hope for peace, the israeli government do its utmost to ruin it and they always blame the other side. This is a classic.
Netanyahu is such an interesting guy to watch..he's like this train that you know is going to crash but you don't know where. He contradicts and twists words so obviously you wonder if he's actually serious about what he says. I can't see this going far with that coalition he has..
remember why the previous proximity talks stopped before they started? Funny how this time they are trying to set up the Palestinians for the failure - because it will be failure. The number of settlers tripled since the early '90s and just keeps growing I don't see any intention and interest from the Israeli side to stop and reverse it. The expansionism continues and they are still asking the Palestinians to give up something from their "wants" which by the way is in accordance with UN resolutions. Of course Israel ignores them they have their own "long standing policies" which are above any UN resolutions and international law. It is just too morbid...
What a surprise. Abbas can stall all he likes - and Obama says nothing. But if Israel stalled for just one hour he would be ranting and raving about how Israel is endangering the US
While a minister annouces West Bank train line project it would be PA which delays. Obviously settlers educate for peace.
No: what is needed is Israeli unity to resist the US -Arab agenda. The simple fact is that the Arabs have NEVER modified their concept of Naqba. Till they do, let them stew in their own juice.
As always, I am waiting for your peace loving editors to blame Israel for the Palestinian delay
They can continue to play victim,spongeing off the world,while dreaming of conquering Israel"the Arab lands" with" timeon their side",by the "womans womb weapon",the 'refugee winning card" by obliterating Israel by Islam. Anything except facing the resposbilities of running a state ,which they could have done all along.
"the Palestinians were delaying and were postponing the announcement for no real reason." ...... which was followed immediately by .... "the Palestinian announcement will come only on Saturday, after the meeting of the PLO Executive Committee". Well, I never! The nerve! Only...... who did you want to make that announcement? Mickey Mouse? The announcement has to be DRAFTED before it can be ANNOUNCED, and the proper place to draft it is in a meeting of the PLO executive.
Abbas doesn’t believe Netanyahu and doesn’t think he could be partner to an agreement that would meet Palestinian needs. You see the pals need a state but Abbas wants several things with it... I.E. east Jerusalem, and right of return to Israel... I think the PM of Israel is ready to negotiate on the needs of the Pals and not on the wants of the Pals... Its up to the pals if their wants outweigh their needs...
Is that why Israel has built settlements in the WB for decades? Can someone please explain how building settlements on occupied land is compatible with peace? Occupation and building settlements on them are different matters.
"Can someone please explain how building settlements on occupied land is compatible with peace?" Can you explain why Jordan kicking out every single Jew from the territories, then attacking Israel again 19 years later renders it unethical for those Jews to reclaim and develop their properties? Why shouldn't Jews build on lands they were only absent from for 2 decades? Why is a Jewish presence on land they own incompatible with peace?
In line with your argument, the 800,000 refugees kicked out of their homes in 1947/48 should have every right to return. If they do Israel will cease to be a democratic Jewish state. If there is to be one state for Arabs and Jews then Israel will cease to be a democratic Jewish state. Based on every international norm and standard (except Israel's of course) the WB is occupied territory, and it is illegal for the occupier to build on these land. If 2 states for 2 people is the goal, and borders are to be "negotiated" as you often claim, then Israel has no right creating facts on the ground before these so called negotiations are finalized. The building of settlements are aimed at one thing and one thing only, and that is to make the creation of a Palestinian state impossible. Short of ethnically cleansing the Palestinian population, the 4 million Palestinians are staying and a Jewish democratic Israel has no choice but 2 states, but people like you and the settlers are destroying the State of Israel. Those are why settlements are incompatible with peace. Now please explain, without hurling insults, how they are compatible?