Israel-Palestine: The Proximity Talks Starts Silently (Yenidunya)

On Wednesday, U.S. Mideast special envoy George Mitchell met Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office said that the two had a three-hour discussion and described the atmosphere as good. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley also said the meeting was good and productive. Mitchell is scheduled to see Netanyahu again on Thursday and the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.

Israel-Palestine Opinion: Discrimination in East Jerusalem (Eldar)
Israel-Palestine: Proximity Talks to Begin on Wednesday? (Yenidunya)

However, there are still negative voices in Israel over the sustainability of indirect talks. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed doubts about the Palestinians' intentions:

The Palestinians' indecision on holding indirect talks with all kinds of excuses raises questions about their seriousness. I hope that, despite this, we will succeed in holding talks in a proper fashion.

Meanwhile, Abbas was in Cairo and Amman on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II. Despite Israeli insistence that indirect talks are not for addressing key issues such as the final status of Jerusalem or the permanentl borders of the Palestinian state, Abbas declared, "Negotiations will focus on final status issues and there's no need to enter into details and small matters because we have had enough of that in the previous negotiations."

Abbas also pointed out the limits of talks in an interview with CNN. He warned that he would quit the discussions if Israel embarked on construction activity in the West Bank.

Israel-Palestine: Proximity Talks to Begin on Wednesday? (Yenidunya)

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss upcoming U.S.-mediated negotiations.

Netanyahu described the meeting as "constructive...in a good atmosphere", and Defense Ministry strategist Amos Gilad said that the indirect negotiations with Palestinians would begin on Wednesday. However, some Israeli politicians still opposed indirect talks. Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor called them "a strange affair" after face-to-face peace negotiations stretching back 16 years. He reiterated the Netanyahu Government's official position:

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

I think it is clear to everyone that real talks are direct talks, and I don't think there is a chance of a significant breakthrough until the direct talks begin.

Ramallah's vision is sharply different than West Jerusalem's. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, said:

The truth is we are not in need of negotiations. We are in need of decisions by the Israeli government. This is the time for decisions more than it is the time for negotiations.

The moves continue as US Middle East special envoy George Mitchell is back to the region. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said:

The president spoke late this morning with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

They discussed how best to work together to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East, in particular by making full use of substantive proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians and transitioning to direct negotiations as soon as possible.

Gibbs saidthat the two leaders also discussed regional challenges and Obama "reaffirmed his unshakable commitment" to the security of Israel.