One PA official stated that Netanyahu was now apparently ready to recognize the pre-1967 borders as the basis for future talks and was ready to swap territory between the two countries. He added, “We’re beginning to hear new things from Israel. For the first time an Israeli government is willing to negotiate with us on the basis of the 1967 borders, and this is an encouraging move.”
“Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians could be relaunched as early as February,” added another PA official in Ramallah.
Meanwhile, Egyptian sources told the Cairo-based daily Al-Ahram on Monday that Barack Obama’s administration will put forward a plan whereby Israel would commit itself to the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years of the launch of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. Read the rest of this entry »
On Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “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. I can’t say that he has come with changed positions, but he is moving forward.”
Are we getting glimpses of an emerging picture, one which will be completed when Egypt brings Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to the negotiating table?
On Thursday, Netanyahu called for a meeting with Abbas later in January at the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. ”There is a possibility of a breakthrough surrounding the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority which was proposed during Netanyahu’s talks with Mubarak,” senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office said. Read the rest of this entry »
Eleven days ago, former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin told the Meretz Party leadership that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was close to finalizing an agreement with the Obama administration for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, envisaging a two-state solution based on 1967 borders:
* Timetable: Netanyahu is willing to accept the U.S. proposal to allot 24 months to talks, but does not want to announce that the goal is to reach a deal by the end of that period.
* Borders: Netanyahu has agreed that the goal of the talks is to end the conflict on the basis of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders, the exchange of agreed-upon territory, and a Jewish state with recognized and secure borders that will meet Israel’s security needs.
* Jerusalem: Netanyahu has agreed that the status of Jerusalem will be discussed in the negotiations, but has not agreed to any preconditions on the issue.
* Refugees: Netanyahu said he was willing to discuss the refugee issue only in a multilateral framework.
* Previous agreements: Netanyahu is willing to commit to all previously-signed agreements.
* Arab Peace Initiative: Netanyahu is not willing to support the plan, but is willing to say both sides are taking into consideration international initiatives, including this one, that contribute to the advancement of the peace process. Read the rest of this entry »
Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Washington visit, the Jerusalem Municipal Planning Committee approved the construction plan for an additional 900 new housing units beyond the Green Line. Questions remains over the timing and actors in this decision: is the Netanyahu Government involved? And, if so, is this primarily a message to Washington that Israel is not weak or is it prompted by internal politics, trying to consolidate opposition to any demands of the Obama Administration?
There is another possibility: the approval of the additional 900 housing units may be a harbinger of a halt to expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, at least temporarily. Before declaring that halt, Netanyahu is seeking space for a guarantee that East Jerusalem will not be item in future discussions. If Jerusalem is non-negotiable, then Israel will not build as Arabs offer gestures of “normalization”. If this is not conceded, then Israel will resume settlement construction.
On Wednesday, “left-wing” politician Yossi Beilin told Army Radio that Netanyahu is soon going to announce a complete freeze in West Bank settlement construction for 10 months. Israeli officials have not responded to this claim.
Following claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is close to finalizing an agreement with the Obama Administration for peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, the PA gave its approval for such talks this weekend.
On Tuesday, 
Eleven days ago, 
Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Washington visit, the Jerusalem Municipal Planning Committee approved the construction plan for an additional 900 new housing units beyond the Green Line. Questions remains over the timing and actors in this decision: is the Netanyahu Government involved? And, if so, is this primarily a message to Washington that Israel is not weak or is it prompted by internal politics, trying to consolidate opposition to any demands of the Obama Administration?
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