Palestinian Authority: No word from Israel on peace summit
Abbas' spokesman tells Ma'an that PA president has not received formal invite to summit with Netanyahu.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu Mahmoud Abbas Israel news Middle East peaceThe Palestinian Authority on Friday said it has not received an official request for a proposed meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would restart peace negotiations, Ma'an news agency reported.
"We didn't receive anything about such a thing," Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdeina, told the Palestinian news agency on Friday evening. "So far what we heard was from the media."
"All that we know is that the president will be going on Wednesday to meet [Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak," he added.
Government sources on Thursday said Netanyahu had called for a meeting with Abbas later in January at the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Abu Rdeina said there was no way of knowing whether Abbas would accept such a request until he meets with Mubarak.
He added that Abbas would continue to insist that Netanyahu comply with the demand to halt settlement construction in the West Bank.
"Negotiations are in need not of conditions - these are requirements under the road map," Abu Rdeina said, referring to the U.S.-backed peace plan.
But Abu Rdeina stressed that simply meeting Netanyahu face to face would not constitute a formal resumption of final-status negotiations.
"There is a possibility of a breakthrough surrounding the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office said Thursday.
The Egyptian administration began efforts to bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table following Netanyahu's recent visit in Cairo, the officials said.
"Israel's idea of an Egypt-hosted peace summit with Abbas was proposed during Netanyahu's talks with Mubarak," an Israeli official told Reuters.
Another official confirmed Netanyahu had raised the summit idea.
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Netanyahu already knows that according to UN Israel has to withdraw from East Jerusalem. Abbas said there would be no peace talks unless Israel freezes construction in East Jerusalem aswell. So all this is fake talk. Netanyahu wants to make the Israelis and (he hopes) the rest of the world believe that he wants peace. But this is just Israeli politics, lies and pretending.
The PLO has no interest in peace and there recent celebration of its first 1965 terror attack against Israel proves this.
Doesn't he know how to make "an official request" by himself? He's the one who needs to come begging - not Israel.
JQP: "and yet, this two-faced so-called leader is complaining that Israel has not indicated about participating in a peace summit." He's complaining because Bibi has "announced" a "peace summit" when that announcement appears to be nothing but an empty piece of rhetoric addressed to.... well.... who *is* it addressed to, JohnQP????? Because it certainly hasn't been addressed to Abbas. So who *is* it addressed to? Apparently, to gullible people like you....
There is not need for the peace crap of the Islamist-Jihadist Arabs. The Palestinians already have a large country in Jordan.
I find it so ridiculous how Abbas postures and tries continuously to lay blame on Israel for everything. The PA has publicly been negative about Israel's offer for temporary stoppage of settlement construction indicating that Fatah will not negotiate, and yet, this two-faced so-called leader is complaining that Israel has not indicated about participating in a peace summit. Let's face it. The Palestinian Authority cannot operate with losing every opportunity to lose opportunities and to come across as incompetent as they are. It is really pathetic.