Israel-Palestine Analysis: The 2nd Round of Proximity Talks (Yenidunya)

US envoy George Mitchell was in Ramallah on Wednesday and in Israel the next day. During talks with Mitchell, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas said Israeli “provocations” were threatening negotiations.

Following the delivery of several complaint letters to Mitchel, the top negotiator Saeb Erekat added, "We hope that the Americans will obligate the Israelis to stop the provocations, which include invasions, arrests, settlement construction and the creation of new facts on the ground." However, Erekat was still "optimistic", saying, "We hope that in the next four months we can achieve the two-state solution on the 1967 borders."

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Army Radio reported that Israel was preparing gestures for the Palestinians, including removal of roadblocks in the West Bank and release of prisoners. Government sources said that Netanyahu is favorably examining a proposal to expropriate land from Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank to build a road between Ramallah and a new Palestinian town under construction.


Washington, however, seems to be highlighting the priority of security for both sides, even though this breaks the ban on discussion of core issues before direct talks. On Saturday, Mitchell said the first round in Ramallah dealt with borders and security arrangements. He denied earlier reports that Palestinians had agreed to give up more territory  during former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's land swap offer in 2008: Abbas is ready to exchange land with Israel but gaps remain on how much territory is to be traded.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, an opponent of the discussions, presented the Israel Cabinet with a secret report on plans by the Palestinian Authority for global campaign to keep pressure on Israel over settlements. The report says that the Palestinians will seek to use the so-called proximity talks to increase American pressure on Israel so the freeze on settlement construction will continue, including East Jerusalem if possible. It allegedly continues, "In our assessment, the Palestinians will not reveal any area of flexibility, especially not on issues of borders and territory exchanges, because in their view the Israeli government is not genuinely interested in carrying out effective negotiations."

The report supposedly claimed the Palestinians would seek to persuade Washington, in the United Nations Security Council, not to veto a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel-Palestine: Arab League Supports Indirect Talks (Yenidunya)

The Arab League nations backed indirect talks between Israelis and Palestinians on Saturday. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told reporters: "The timeframe of indirect talks will not change from what was agreed to in March, and there will be no change from indirect talks to direct talks until after the outcome of indirect talks has been assessed."

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The top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, filled in the detail on the "assessment of the indirect talks", "If Israel builds one house in the West Bank, Palestinians will immediately stop the negotiations." Arab foreign ministers added East Jerusalem to the agenda, warning that peace efforts would collapse if Israel continued to build settlements in the city as well as in the West Bank.



The Arab League, who gave the U.S. four months from March for so-called proximity talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, said that it had received "positive signs" from the United States.

Hamas, the Palestinian leadership in Gaza, criticized this support: "The endorsement and support for the Arab Committee to resume negotiations again, even after the occupation continues with its policies and settlements, is considered as accepting the situation as it is, and a new umbrella for it to commit more crimes and violations against the Palestinian people."

In contrast, Israeli officials welcomed the League's endorsement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, "Israel is willing to renew negotiations with the Palestinians at any time and at any place." President Shimon Peres added:

There is a readiness in Israel to solve the obstacles at the basis of peace negotiations. It took a little longer than we hoped for and problems are not yet solved but at least the way to handle them is open.

Israel has adopted the principle of two states for two peoples, and we extend our hand for an honest peace with our neighbours.

For now, Israeli officials are not saying a word about settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

On Sunday, Palestinian Authority Secretary General Tayeb Abdel Rahim said that U.S. President Barack Obama has assured the PA that Washington is committed to a two-state solution and that a future Palestinian state will be independent and have territorial continuity. Rahim added that the U.S. vowed to assign blame publicly to any party that takes provocative actions or jeopardizes prospects for peace.

London-based Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat claims that Obama has promised Abbas a prolonged Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The report asserts that Saeb Erekat told the Arab League ministers Saturday night that Obama made his promise off the record in order to avoid conflict with right-wing factions in Israel.