World leaders urge Abbas to renew direct talks with Israel
Merkel, Cameron and Berlusconi ask Palestinian president to upgrade negotiations.
By Barak RavidThe U.S. administration and a string of international leaders did their best this weekend to persuade Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to move from indirect to direct talks with Israel. One highly placed Jerusalem figure said the Mideast Quartet had decided last week on the pressure play.
Over the weekend, Abbas heard in turn from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas |
| Photo by: Reuters |
Each called on Abbas to announce this Thursday, at the Arab League foreign ministers' summit in Cairo, that he is ready to move to direct talks. All three leaders promised to support him and to head off any Israeli foot-dragging during the talks.
Abbas heard the same last Thursday from Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who delivered from Jerusalem the message that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was serious about negotiations with the Palestinians. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in a press conference over the weekend, also said that direct talks should start as soon as possible.
In addition to pressing Abbas, Washington took an indirect approach to get Egypt and Jordan to recruit the support of fellow Arab League members for a resolution in favor of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. U.S. President Barack Obama called Jordan's King Abdullah II on Friday to make his arguement, while on Thursday Vice President Joe Biden held a similar conversation with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
It is believed that Abbas is standing up to the pressure, and that the Palestinians have not eased their conditions for moving to direct talks: an end to all construction in the settlements, including in East Jerusalem; and Israel's agreement to a future Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with some territorial exchanges.
The Jerusalem source said the Quartet - comprised of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - decided on the coordinated campaign of persuasion after representatives met in Jerusalem last week.
The pressure is expected to increase until Thursday's Cairo summit, where Abbas will present the Palestinian Authority's position on the talks with Israel and seek the Arab League's support for its position.
The U.S. administration and the other Quartet members are hoping that, as a result of their gambit, Abbas will propose renewing direct negotiations with Israel. The assumption is that the Arab League will support whatever decision Abbas makes.
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OK!! let us try it again but under the direct contribution of the quartet leaders and in front of all the world day by day.
It looks like the Israeli charade has been successful. We will go back to the same old failed formula...endless peace talks while Israel builds settlements and changes the facts on the ground. Congrats to Israel, they have won. The Palestinians should just give up on a two-state solution and demand equal civil and political rights in one single state. That is all they can hope for from Israel and the World.
Call it a charade and fail to recognize that the Palestinians have a chance at getting a state for themselves after 62 years of rejecting their own sovereign nation repeatedly. If they go into direct negotiations, they can show Israel for what you claim about Israel. Since they refuse, they continue showing that they are not serious about establishing a state, more than they are about establishing a state on as much Jew-free territory as possible -- with the possible hope of destroying Israel eventually.
The same Burlasconi who pretended not to see the apartheid wall engulfing Bethlehem the birthplace of Jesus? What a "burla"
Israel's right to be, to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and 2) Accept a peace treaty as the "end of the conflict". Sadly, and herein is the core of the Arab Israeli conflict, Abbas can't bring himself to accept the fact that Jews constitute a people, that this people has historic rights in the Land and that Israel is the nation-state of this people by right. Hence, he also can't accept a peace treaty as the "end of the conflict" that, in his eyes, will only end when Israel is no more...!! If the Muslim-Arab leadership, both local and regional, accepted the two points demanded by Israel peace could be implemented in no time. Yet, their refusal causes the sate of conflict to continue for many decades, sine 1917 to be precise.
"Abbas can't bring himself to accept the fact that Jews constitute a people," LOL. Just because leading Zionists have said Palestinians don't exist doesn't mean they feel that way about you.
Abbas wants land on silver platter or nothing at all until (he thinks) he will finally get his way!
Urging Abbas by those leaders to renew direct talks with Israel is not enough. They must force israeli leaders to withdraw from all occupied arab territories and work seriously for prevailing of peace and development in the region.
Abbas should go to direct talks and make his positions clear to Netanyahu and to the Israeli public, including with proposed maps. Any deal will need to be ratified and nothing should be secret. Netanyahu hasn't responded to the security or borders proposal that Abbas made. Maybe if the Israeli public knows what it is, Netanyahu won't be so afraid to respond. When is Netanyahu going to acknowledge that Geneva IV even binds Israel?
Even the Israelis know this to be the truth. Why the charades? Another example of how Likud is not interested in peace, only a status quo that will make a Greater Israel (no matter how unlikely) at least an option. Why don't you just negotiate with a falafel sandwich or the Mayor of Kansas City? Same constituency as Abbas (= none).
abbas term has expired
It's high time to liberate Marwan Barghouti, so Palestinians can retire this old discredited puppet, and have a legitimate leader more concerned about his people's rights than about his cronies' pockets.
That there will have no piece meal, bit by bit incremental steps to peace, Israels withdrawal from occupied territories and the Arabs recognition of the illegal jewish state outside its unilaterally declared borders UN181. Until all aspects of UN242 is adhered to will they prescribe legitimacy to Israel 1967 borders. The Arabs will remain intransigent even if Israel has to slaughter all the Palestinians in the process.
Getting Obama out of the loop allows Netanyahu to blame Abbas for future failure of "Direct Talks".
President Abbas has been given the authority to negotiate on behalf of the PA and the Palestinian communities, possibly bring into a referendum the peace agreement principles reached with the Government of Israel. Hopefully direct talks will begin soon to reveal the position of the Netanyahu government on the core issues, which the Palestinians and common Israelis are curious to find out.
What is he negotiating for? It's time for him to let his people know that the corrupt leaders have sold out the Palestinians and that there is no hope for a Palestinian state and maybe he can start to lead them to equal rights in a bi national state...
Sit in the same room and talk. Only the extremists are against it.
You have been nothing but a stooge in the eyes of the Israeli, US, and European leaders......It is time for you to resign and have your HONOR!!!!
Its easier to pressure the weaker. I hope Abbas and Arab league will resist these injust demands!!
To talk about peace. How dare they!
How dare anyone pressure the Palestinian Arabs to sit down at the table and and actually negotiate peace. That is totally unjust! They absolutely should be able to dictate any terms they want and not have to negotiate any sort of difficult concessions. The chutzpah of those Israelis for wanting to talk! Amazing.
All they are asking is that Abbas sit down and work out the details of a state for his people. Bibi is patiently waiting. It is beginning to be clear what the obstruction really is.
"It is beginning to be clear what the obstruction really is." Or rather, what the construction is.
Abbas does not speak for the Palestinians. His term of office has long since expired. Any deal he makes will be subject to rejection by the Palestinian people and rightly so. America and Israel like dealing with Abbas. He has served them well in the past and they are comfortable with him. This is exactly the reason that Abbas cannot negotiate peace as the representative of the Palestinians. Someone please write this on a sticky note and put it on Obamas desk. He should be told.
So by your logic when people say there is no Palestinian partner for peace they must be right and there is no chance for peace. Unless of course any deal Abbas makes would not only as you say, "be subject to rejection by the Palestinian people and rightly so", but also be subject to acceptance by the Palestinian and Israeli people - and rightly so.