Israel presents the Palestinians with its stance on borders
For first time, Netanyahu's envoy Isaac Molho outlines for Erekat Israel's basic principles on borders for a future Palestinian state.
By Barak Ravid and Natasha Mozgovaya Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu Palestinians West Bank Middle East peaceIsrael presented the Palestinians with its position on borders for a future Palestinian state for the first time on Wednesday, meeting the January 26 deadline set by the Mideast Quartet in September.
Officials told Haaretz that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's envoy, Isaac Molho, presented chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat with Israel's position on borders, but did not give Erekat a document on the matter. Molho's presentation included a series of basic principles, without any maps or percentages of lands slotted to be swapped.
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Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
One of the principles that Molho presented was that in any permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, most of the Israelis who live in the West Bank will remain in Israeli territory, while the Palestinians in the West Bank will be in the area allotted for a future Palestinian state.
Erekat asked Molho for clarifications on his presentation, and Molho told Erekat that he is ready to provide him with answers as soon as possible and to set an additional meeting in the next few days.
In the last meeting between the two, that took place last Saturday, the Palestinians refused to let a senior Israeli officer present the Israeli position on security arrangements. On Wednesday's meeting, Molho told Erekat that Israel will be happy to present its stance on security arrangements in their next meeting, after it had already laid out some of its position on borders, as per the Palestinians' request.
A senior Israeli official involved in the talks said that even though Molho's presentation was preliminary, he did present fundamental principles.
Molho's presentation on borders marks the first time that the Netanyahu government agreed to discuss the territorial issue. However, at this stage, the move is most probably solely a tactical one, meant to pressure the Palestinians and make it harder for them to blame Israel for the collapse of the talks.
On Wednesday, before the meeting between Molho and Erekat, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the talks with Israel end with no results. And even after the meeting, the Palestinians said the meeting brought no new breakthrough and said that in the next few days they will reassess the situation with Arab countries and decide whether to continue the talks.
Meanwhile, intensive international efforts to prevent the failure of Israeli-Palestinian talks in Jordan are continuing. In a phone conversation on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Netanyahu that she is very worried that the talks will be broken off.
A statement from Merkel's office said, "She called on the Israeli Prime Minister to do all he could from his side so that the current process could continue."
"In this context, she informed Netanyahu about Palestinian President Abbas' visit to Berlin last week. She said she had also called on Abbas not to let the current talks come to an end," the statement said.
Victoria Nuland, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said on Thursday the talks had been helpful for both sides.
“They have clarified some issues. There are some things that they need to work on at home on both sides. And that perhaps a small pause, and then to come back with some fresh ideas will be helpful,” she said.
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This means Palestine can go to the ICC sooner and exact a cost to the occupiers and land thieves.
But wait, what's this I read, oh I see, they didn't. What a strange headline. Still I've ascertained one thing; Israel apparently has "principles". Somehow this claim rings hollow.
The so called palestinians (arabs) doesnt want peace. All they make is demands and threats to leave. So let them leave and go back to jordan where they belong...
Using these official borders Israel can apply to the Palestinians for land swaps bud should not exceed the the area of the original grant. Why make this more complicated and mysterious than it is?
The Czar allowed the Jews of Russia all the "rights" they wanted, as long as the Jews stayed "in their place." Israel is likewise prepared to be very "generous" to the Palestinians, as long as they accept the settlements, give up the Jordan Valley, and relinquish any claim to Al Quds. What Israel is proposing is not peace terms, but surrender terms.
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.
Either we had Arafat pulling out of talks and starting the Second Intifada, Olmert with his hands in the piggy bank or Bibi with his wacko coalition. Why can't both sides just act like grownups;.
It has no intention on there being a Palestinian state, and the most that it envisions is a Palestinian archepalgo of isolated and disconnected enclaves in which to 'con-cen-trate' the Palestinian population of the West Bank. A map would be a commitment on one hand, and would reveal its nefarious agenda to the world on the other. So after all this time, under intense international pressure, Israel finally provides a vague "verbal" outline. Netanyahu's veil of deceit is growing ever thinner...
The Quartet deetermined that the talks will last until January 26th, by which time Israel and the PA will present their view on the final borders. The PA did so, while Israel is trying to delay by presenting "principles" without details instead. According to Israel, the intended Quartet deadline is really early March. Let us say this is so (against common sense). But why wait? Will Netanyahu know more in 6 weeks than now? My theory is that after early March there will be another delay (excuse yet to be determined) until the end of March, when Netanyahu expects his coalition to collapse due to the Migron evacuation, and elections to be called. During the campaign, it will not be possible to negotiate, of course. Once he is passed the election, Netanyahu could afford to be braver. Before the elections, he cannot admit to giving back any piece of Greater Israel, which is against Likud's ideology and constitution.
Why now at the very last possible chance do they bring forward their "principles" when they have had years and years to formulate a real plan based on real borders? Once again israeli is trying so veyr hard to look like they are actually talking peace when all they are doing is stalling to buy time for more land theft. This si the real reason israel never wants to declare borders, if it did then any illegal building outside of them would get the ICC involved, but without having a border at all you cankeep calling it all "greater israel" and keep demanding of the other side to accept this or that while you keep stealing their land and then only come to the table with your "position" on the matter. I bet his position was "well we want all of the land and we know you wont give it up readily and we have to steal lots of it but hey thats our basic position on this. And no i wont give you documents to prove i said this, i'll just lie to the press and tell them you guys wont negotiate instead"
Palestinians will never receive any type of official ending from the israeli's side since israel is in full power and full control and there is nothing the palestinan government can do. therefore end the talks and fight it out since israel just loves burning time as much as possible since its a great value to the palestinians
As the saying goes, the devil is in the details. No one would continue negotiations until such crucial details are supplied.
Jordan is Palestine.
Really, it has taken them this long to come up with this pile of regurgitated rubbish? Whats next on the list of un-breakthroughs, "Israel for Israeli's and Palestine for arabs?" Stinks of a political time-wasting tactic...
Here we go again. Let's throw the Pals a bone. Yes, you can have your state, we just don't know how much you should have. All talk but no documents, maps, just the same old BS to look good for the Quartet and to continue to delay.
Talk is cheap and easily changed. A map is a document and its hard to go back on a document like it is with talk.
Israel plans on a Palestinian archepelago of isolated pockets of land into which it will concentrate the Palestinians of the West Bank. Read between the lines - and also why there's no black & white outline...which would betray its intention to the international community. Danny Danon outlined this scheme in an op-ed to the NY Times - about the same time frame as Bibi's address to congress last year -which was of course hushed by the media in general. Never saw word of it here!
How will we now justify to break up negotiations? Guys, start to realize that Israel is much more clever than you ever will be!
The rest of the worls sees it for what it is, yet another time wasting delay tactic to continue this peace fakery. israel claims it wants peace and acts this way - you israleis call it clever. I bet you think its also "clever" to steal from others and kill innocent people - you kow, just because you can and its oh so very clever of you to do so.
This is news? No map equals no negotiations. Stop this silly childish game called Israeli negotiating.
LOL...doesn't take a genius - or does it?