Netanyahu proposes bi-weekly meetings with Abbas during direct peace talks
Netanyahu: Serious negotiations in the Middle East mean only direct, quiet and consecutive talks between the two leaders on the key issues.
By Barak Ravid and Jonathan LisPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed to the U.S. administration
On Thursday that he hold a face-to-face meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas every two weeks to try to forge covert understandings and set principles to solve every issue.
After the principles are determined, small negotiation teams would hammer out the details and put the understandings into writing. Netanyahu said in a meeting to prepare for the Washington summit that "serious negotiations in the Middle East mean only direct, quiet and consecutive talks between the two leaders on the key issues."
Netanyahu on Thursday evening began forming Israel's negotiating team for the direct peace negotiations set to commence next week, the Prime Minister's Office announced.
The Prime Minister will assemble a small negotiating team that will be under his direct supervision, in order to allow for thorough, serious and speedy talks.
Netanyahu was expected to meet with advisers Yitzhak Molcho, Ron Dermer, and Uzi Arad, among others, in order to pick who will be part of the delegation that will travel to Washington, where direct peace talks with the Palestinian Authority are set to start on September 2.
Molcho will head the negotiating team, which is to include representatives from various government ministries.
Meanwhile, the Yesha Council of settlers is gearing up for the possibility that the 10-month freeze on settlement construction will remain in force past the September 26 deadline.
According to the council, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak plan to enforce a "quiet freeze." Under this scenario, the moratorium would be declared officially over, but Barak would not sign building permits brought to him for approval.
The settlers thus fear that in practice they will face enormous bureaucratic hurdles in their efforts to expand settlements.
One of the effects of this policy, the settlers argue, is that there will be hardly any new construction in the settlement blocs. Based on existing permits the only new housing units to be built are several dozen in Ariel, planned for the evacuees from Netzarim in Gaza, and another group in Ma'aleh Adumim.
Permits are also available for a handful of homes in Gush Etzion.
Yesha Council sources said on Thursday that the standard by which the "construction compromise" will be measured will be the number of housing units that will be built in the coming year.
"During Olmert's time, 3,000 housing units were built annually. As far as we're concerned, that's the number of units that need to be built in 2010," a source in the council said, referring to previous Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"During the first week at the end of the building freeze, Barak will have to sign approvals for 1,500 housing units that should have been built in recent months. If he signs approvals for anything less, it will be possible to deduce that the freeze is actually still in place."
 |
U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting in the U.S. in January 2010. |
| Photo by: (GPO) |
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
It is actually an Israeli precondition. And Abbas has conceded it. He has also 99.9% conceded the refugee issue. He has also conceded the conquest of 1948. The US hasn't recognized Israel as anything other than a state, with no qualification. Nobody else has either, anywhere in the world. Time now for Israel to make a concession or two.
Ah.! That's nice ! Have you brought the chess-board along ? Or if that's too difficult. The Domino.or Backammon ( SHesh- Beish) will do.
The top dogs meet periodically while the experts meet more frequently to work out the details, and then let the leaders decide on how to cut every thorny issue the experts could not agree on. Generally, this is the way it worked under Olmert. As far as the meeting place, I recommend East Jerusalem. Both sides claim it, so it will appear to them that the meeting is held in THEIR territory. A psychological victory to both.
People, everyone on here wants the same thing - for these talks to work & an agreement to be struck! How in the world does it help ANYTHING to berate either leader? We should SUPPORT these efforts, despite past difficulties. What does it cost us to support these efforts, if only online and in our hearts? Breath deeply, everyone. Unless we have alternative motives...???
If BIBI wants to see Abu Ali every two weeks that could be arranged without Israel entering into harmful negotiations. BIBI could simply have his driver take him to Ramallah , there under Abu Ali's balcony BIBI coauld sing to him until Abu Ali consents to come to the balcony and throw bibi a flower. It would make great press too at Haaretz the editors will have a field day full of flower pods and seeds
he want to talk weather with abbas?
bibi and america are not fair partners for peace . the P.A are over there heads with them being double teamed
Iran? The Muslim Brotherhood? Guys like you just don't want peace, and what Abbas, Netenyahu and Obama should all say to your kind is, "Hey, feel free to screw up your own life, but leave us alone."
Never listen to Netanyahu. Go on with the meetings at least 5 days a week excluding holidays, Saturdays and Fridays. His plan is if he miss one meeting parties have to wait one month for the next meeting. Tricks, tricks and tricks.
especially if it is non-commital... Bibi still has to prove his sincerity to the greater good...
aRABS STARTED WARS AND LOST. jEWISH NATIONAL FUND BOUGHT LAND FROM ARAB LANDLORDS. aRAFAT HAD HIDDEN BANK ACCOUNT IN EUROPE,WIFE WHY ALL THE CRYING NOW IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE YEARS.
spewing senseless irrelevant slogans?
Netanyahu is serious. At least he won't be dealing w/ the unpredictable Arafat, as in Wye River, and Hamas is out of the equation. So he and his team can deal w/the facts of what they are willing to negotiate. Let him thank Hashem that he has made it to the negotiating table alive. This is an Arab League initiative that is supporting Abbas.
First they will spend a few sessions agreeing on the time these meeting will take place: before lunch, after lunch, etc. Then on the color of the table and disposition of the chairs. Then perhaps they will have to agree on what they will discuss and what is taboo. This will probably drag until middle of next year. By then Israel would have bombed Iran, or dragged the US in doing so on their behalf, so all will be stopped again, and we are in for another few years of "regional conflicts". Eventually by the year 2020 things would have settled, and we will start all over again. Perhaps by then Pakistan will be the net "bad guy", so all options to delay concrete steps towards peace will remain intact.
In other words, the negotiations will start from square zero again. You can shelve the negotiations of the past 20 years next to resolutions 242 and 338 and start over. Great for the Israelis who continue to colonize the occupied territories, sucks for the Palestinians who hunger to live free of the occupation.
reminds me of those "Hollow Tv,s " peddled for door to door. The gullible always got suckered.
I guess he meant twice a year at the best. Be honest, Bibi. I say that because I know that he has nothing to tell Abbas, except some rhetoric. At the end, he knows that buying time is the most significant thing as he and his dudes will go further with annexing more lands for the settlement building within the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This story goes back for 62 years and will never end.
Otherwise, Bibi will emerge telling us all how intractable the Palestinians are, and Abbas will only be able to deny. Proof positive is the way to go.
A few years ago Marilyn Albright was helping to negotiate between Barak and Arafat. Barak at one point agreed blanketly to all of Arafats terms, at which point Arafat walked out. Marilyn Albright had to have Arafat dragged back by her security personnel. Arafat then demanded the right of return for all palestinians. This is actually a matter of public record. It was written about in numerous reputable papers.
Lest everyone else find out how unreasonable they are - if only we had some tape of Arafat at camp david! boy, did HE screw up.
specially bi-weekly ! bi-weekly !!
Hey you ! Don't you remember the time when the Left in Israel said," Prepare for war" because Menachem Begin won the elections !/...Or have you forgotten those days when people in high positions, (I don't want to mention names) said they are packing their bags & leaving Israel ? Have you forgotten those days When the Left said that Menachem Begin was going to bring war ? Many of them started packing to leave.Remember those days ? Ah1 of course not. Begin signed a Peace agreement w/Egypt.See how stupid some people can be ! how
Is this Abbas' fate also? Indirect, to direct, to bi-weekly summit, to isolation blame failure, and house arrest if you don't agree to a Bantustan arrangement?
So, am I take that to mean that Bibi wants the talks shifted to Tel Aviv, and not Washington. After all, neither he nor Abbas can fit bi-weekly flights to the USA into their schedules....
Orient House would be a good location for the talks. but then they could be almost daily, if progress is to be made. The only really hard issues are borders, sovereignty for Palestine, and historical sites. Abbas has about conceded everything else already. Refugees - conceded. Recognition as a Jewish state - Conceded Everything else is a sovereignty issue., even water
Bibi knows that moment of truth is fast approaching and he has already and unexpectedly been conored. He is coming up with all sorts of preconditions and delaying tactics. He will be smartly evasive and will therefore use a new tactic one last time to fool the world leaders. Thanks to people that now they can predict his behaviour and moves before he takes one. He will be held accountable for his actions. I bet he is stressing and losing sleep. Everone please watch him carefully, he is about to pull a fast one.
...is that it's actually in Pal territory... Israel authorites shut ot off indefinitely....
you never cease to amaze, johnboy. you've got a real hate-on for netanyahu.
absurd. the refugee issue is also a farce - may as well invent a time machine, it will happen first, and is more likely to work. on that note, maybe helen thomas will grant jews return to their stolen properties all over the world, maybe even resurrect the murdered?
What about security issues? Given that the West Bank cannot shoot rockets at will then borders, sovereignity for Palestine, and historical places are not so hard issues.
"Orient House would be a good location for the talks." [chortle] The only building mentioned by name in the Road Map. [snicker] There is about as much chance of Bibi agreeing to your suggestion as there is of him nominating my house as the venue.
Security for both peoples is a sovereignty and borders issue. Neither can have one without the other. Palestine needs security as much or more than Israel. Israel has an air force and laser guided munitions.
It is actually an Israeli precondition. And Abbas has conceded it. He has also 99.9% conceded the refugee issue. He has also conceded the conquest of 1948. Time now for Israel to make a concession or two.
That way almost two weeks will pass between the announcement of settlement expansion and the end of the talks.
could you please list your qualifications to discuss our region. Facts only! Advanced schooling, several years living in this region, fluency in local languages, experience with the State Department would be examples.
Expansion of areas that will be ceded to Israel in exchange for Israeli land permitted. Expansion of areas that will be part of Palastinian state restricted. And all of it done through the permit process, not though public announcements. Hey - whatever works.