Egypt FM: Netanyahu is serious about renewing peace talks
Ahmed Aboul Gheit said he was encouraged by Netanyahu visit; PM: conditions ripe for renewing talks.
By The Associated Press and Barak Ravid Haaretz Service Tags: Gilad Shalit Benjamin Netanyahu Israel newsEgyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Tuesday said he was encouraged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Cairo.
Aboul Gheit said Netanyahu is serious about restarting peace talks with the Palestinians. He refused to share details of what Netanyahu proposed, but he said the premier presented proposals that surpassed Israel's previous positions.
"I can't talk about details, but the prime minister was discussing positions that surpass in our estimate what we've heard from them in a long time," Aboul Gheit told reporters, adding "I can't say that he has come with changed positions, but he is moving forward."
The Palestinians have said they will not resume talks until Israel freezes all settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They also want Netanyahu to resume talks from the point they broke off under his predecessor, Ehud Olmert.
Aboul Gheit said Netanyahu gave his Egyptian hosts the impression that he wants to get diplomacy moving again, and that everything is on the table.
Netanyahu headed to Egypt on Tuesday, for talks with President Hosni Mubarak on U.S.-backed efforts to relaunch Israel-Palestinian peace talks, as well as ongoing negotiations for the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
In light of his government's flexibility, the premier will urge his Egyptian counterpart to impress upon Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the need to resume negotiations with Israel.
In an unusual development, Netanyahu is being accompanied on this trip by his special envoy who is responsible for the government's talks with the Obama administration, Yitzhak Molcho.
Molcho met last week with U.S. special envoy George Mitchell. The two emissaries reached agreement on a number of outstanding issues, including the time-frame to be allotted for negotiations as well as Israel's readiness to discuss the Palestinians' demand for a state on the 1967 lines.
Netanyahu said Monday that the "conditions are ripe" for renewing peace negotiations with the Palestinians, and promised to emphasize the issue at the meeting with Mubarak.
Netanyahu and Mubarak were also expected to discuss the negotiations to swap hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Shalit, who has been held in the Hamas ruled Gaza Strip for more than three years.
Netanyahu's entourage also includes his national security adviser Uzi Arad, Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, and Meir Kalifi, Netanyahu's military secretary.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. |
| Photo by: (Reuters) |
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I'm rather disappointed that you didn't take advantage of my good nature, by not asking for the links I had offered You made references to prisoner's from 1967, how about some details and verifiable links to go along with that? As you mayh recall, if not, you should refresh your failed memory, 1967 was just another one of the wars that the Arabs started & LOST, it's all in the "TIMELINES" Prisoners of war are NOT entitled to trial, they can be held until the war is over, and it seems the wars are still going on Palestinian Boy being killed, how about a verifiable link on that allegation to ago along with your first? I challenge you to name just ONE Arab/Muslim country that is more Democratic than Israel, maybe you want to start the list with Iran??
My Dear Ben,, very few of these prissoners went through a proper trial that a "western democracy" would provide. Many of these prissoners are from 1967...that's long time..and then the second intifada...The world watched on French TV as an Israeli soldier aiming and shooting and killling a palestinian boy with his father going off to buy their frist car. shameful. Israel is not a modern country, by western 21st century standards.
Netanyahu doesn't not have the courage to settle on peace, especially given the PALS positions. Forget the fact that he doesn't really want peace either, if he tries to withdraw to 1967 borders, allows East Jerusalem to be the capital of the Palestinian state, give away existing settlements for other land, his coalition is doomed. The far right (of which he is a part) will never allow it. By, Bye Bibi!
a lil more than a decade ago, he was a crazy comunist who wanted to turn Brasil into a socialist paradise....look at him now....so be cleaver, wait till the end of Bibi's goverment to say what it and whats not. He's in office have even less time than your all mighty, worshiped president!
He never could stand up and fight like a man. His sharades since becoming PM are DISGUSTING!
Oh and by the way---it is the "Zionist entity". Are not most Israeli Jews also zionists. Whenever we say anyting about Zionists we are quickly informed that Israel and Zionism are synomymous. I just bet 99% percent of non Jewsish Israelis have very little praise for Israel---in private. Not that there is much to compliment a Theocratic Apartheid regime for.
what are they trying to do? convince the world that war monger natanyahoo wants peace so he can wage more war....wht does mubaraK GET? 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS A YR...and gheit...gets to be mubarak's lying sidekick
We all know BB he likes talking, talking and Talkings, while of couse taking , taking more Pals. lands, and their homes in EJ.
to restart and then go on and on and on and on and on ad infinitum. Well at least long enough to have stolen what Palestinian land there is that is worth stealing. Talk talk talk. But where are the actions. Today the Highest Court in israel had to rule that Palestinians on their own land could not be denied access to Roads that were built on land stolen from them. These are "Jews only roads" used by Jews from the "Jews only " settlements (illegal) and Israel trys to claim they are not an Apartheid nation. Really.
Egypt FM: Netanyahu is serious about renewing peace talks and even this sounds like a kindergarten statement.
Realist you are right all of Israel is occupied territory.
Sorry, that can't happen. Olmert essentially was willing to give away the store. Which is why he is no longer PM. This is the beauty of democracy, the people can call for change, and did. In Gaza, by contrast, the people can call, but nobody listens. With a new PM, all circuits are reset. You snooze, you lose. Abbas can stay up in his tree forever. The world pretty much sees his game.
your children are instructed for fighting from children is well so please you want to fight terror? look back and see who started with terror!! you cannot change history no matter how you wish to hide it!
Egyptian FM" I can't say that he has come with changed position, but he is moving forward." If hehas not changed his position then he is still the same old BB, Zig here and ZIG there. We all know BB he likes talking, talking and Talkings, while of couse taking , taking more Pals. lands, and their homes in EJ. As 4 moving forward why doesn't he, start where X Pm EHUD OLMERT left off .?
Netanyahu has never been interested in peace, but only his dream of a Greater Israel. Egypt is just a marionette of the US and Israel, and as long as the Egyptians get their thirty pieces of silver, they will do and say whatever their puppetmasters tell them - that's why they don't allow aid convoys into Gaza.
When a teen of fourteen is caught with a bomb belt under his shirt, he was trained from kindergarten on to be a terrorist If you would like, you have only to ask, I'll send your some links where your can see your "Innocent" children being instructed in methods of terror Maybe some of the 10,000 aren't terrorists, would you chance taking a plane trip with one of them?? Why not query your own authorities as to how they would react to have rocks, stones or molotov cocktails being thrown at them??
Well OK, a snake DOES change its skin, but it is still the same old snake. So it is with Bibi, changing his skin from a war mongering extremist to a peace loving moderate. Underneath though, it is still the same old Bibi. The facade is meaningless.
Talk is cheap and every politician has it in endless supply. Sadly, talks in themselves are meaningless. They are particularly meaningless when the talk is about peace and the talker is Netanyahu. Netanyahu is merely placating Obama, until Israel can be rid of him. Until that happens, Obamaremains a potential threat to business as usual in Israel.
How many times have we heard about talks about talks about talks. Netanyahu is only serious about delaying as much as possible whilst building, building, building. His tactics are so obvious it is laughable. How we have all put up with this scenario is beyond me. International apathy has ruled to date but I fervently hope the corner Israel is painting itself into will prove to be the perfect irony.
Ram if you live long you can name 1,0000,0000 incidence of egypt being fooled. Atleast for this one thing dont blame israel. Egyptions are born fools.
Maybe the Sinai needs to be rediscussed as it seems that the Peace treaty with Egypt is bogus and a waste as there is no peace with Egypt only a cessation of hostilities (for now). The land of Sinai was better and Egypt is still Israel's enemy behind the scenes and has been arming itself more since Camp David then before. Why is that???
Are these 1,000 prisoners to be released really terrorists, I don't think so... These palestinians are political prisoners and many are teenagers when they were "picked up by authorities" for throwing rocks and stones... This has been a method for "making terrorists" by severely and unjustly inprisoning young palestinians for years..there are no winners.
Bibi shook hands with Mubarak...i wonder if bibi practice Kosher.
or "samer Palestinian", there are no Israelis and there is no Israel. There are only "Jews" - al Yahud - not a Jewish People, but only a Jewish religion. He does not recognize the State of Israel; his ilk calls it the "Zionist entity" at best.
Fair deal 1-4-1, let them choose whoever they want to free for Shalit, even Arafat.
I agree with you! it is a shame Mubarak after all he got what he wanted so he dont care about anyone else He is a disgrace to the arab world same with the Saudi king!
I could name over 100 incidents where Egyptian Government was deceived and fooled by the Israeli Government. I wonder how long they'll be fooled.
Dont worry Jews ....Probably Netanyahu went there to thank Mubarak for tightening the Sancations against Gaza and building another separation wall there...nothing to worry about Mubarak on ur side!!!!
and Gulf States after Iranian F.M. visit to Cairo .
who made them to become terrorist in their own land?
Nora what is 1000 when you have over 11,000 in Israel prison many just because the are palestinian?
All Jews want Gilad home. But giving murderers a get out of jail card is not the way. In fact, it is a direct result of this approach and having leftists in a tent outside the PM's residence 24/7 that resulted in the murder of an innocent father of 7 last week. I asked the leftists in the tent about the murder of Rabbi Chai,O'BM. their response was that he was killed because he was where he didn't belong- the occupied territories. What the leftists don't comprehend is to these murderers, all of Israel is occupied territory.
Netanyahu to discuss prisoner swap of hundreds ? 980 + 20 (Women already) = 1.000 prisoners to swap for Shalit.