16/08/2010 The "forum of seven" senior Israeli cabinet ministers held their first meeting over the weekend to discuss the continuation of the West Bank settlement freeze, which is due to expire in September, concluding that the issue would be the main hindrance in direct talks with the Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority has said that it would halt direct negotiations if Israel did not extent the settlement freeze beyond September 26, yet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that continuing the construction freeze after it expired would be impossible politically and would bring down the coalition.
Most of the ministers in the forum are against extending the freeze, yet Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor have been pushing for a compromise in line with the previous government's policies, in which the construction will only be renewed in the main settlement blocs, or the freeze would be extended by an additional three months.
The ministers concluded after their meeting that Israel would agree to certain goodwill gestures toward the Palestinians once the talks began.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has conditioned direct talks with Israel on a continued construction freeze.
Palestinian sources told Haaretz that Abbas seeks unequivocal clarifications from the United States that the framework for direct talks will include a declaration that the Palestinian state will be based on the June 4, 1967 borders and that border adjustments will be based on exchanges of territory.
The PA also wants an Israeli declaration that the construction freeze in the settlements will continue and that construction in occupied East Jerusalem will stop.
Following a meeting between US official David Hale and Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday, a Palestinian presidential spokesman said that the PA leader will continue consulting with the US administration over resuming direct talks with Israel.
Nabil Abu Rudaineh said some progress has been made, but that the Palestinian Authority would announce its stance on direct talks when the Quartet releases its statement on Monday.
Hale left Ramallah shortly after midnight and was expected to deliver a statement to Abbas on the US' stance on the expected Quartet statement. A source said PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat and PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo also attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, Erekat on Monday charged Israel with rejecting a "serious" peace process by refusing to halt settlements in the occupied territories.
"The announcement by the Israeli government rejecting the statement of the international Quartet before it is even issued shows that Israel is persisting in its rejection of a serious peace process," Erakat told AFP. "(This) clearly proves that this government has other interests besides peace and stability in the region," he added.
Erakat also criticized an Israeli decision to deploy 23 caravans in eight West Bank settlements to serve as classrooms. "We strongly reject the decision by the Israeli government to continue settlement activity in the West Bank and east Jerusalem," he said.
He went on to accuse Israel of "placing additional obstacles" in the way of US efforts to revive the peace process.
Fatah Central Committee member Mohammad Dahlan told Ma'an news agency that it was "too early" to discuss dates for the resumption of negotiations.
Ahead of the expected invitation to talks from the international Quartet, an Israeli official said Monday that the Zionist entity rejects any preconditions for relaunching direct talks with the Palestinians.
"Israel is ready to start direct negotiations immediately, but without any preconditions," the official said on condition of anonymity. "The Palestinians, who have lost valuable time by refusing to revive these direct contacts, will present all the topics they want to discuss at the negotiating table," the official added.
The Quartet - comprised of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia - was expected to issue a statement in the coming days inviting both sides to relaunch direct talks last suspended in late 2008.
"The Quartet declaration should allow the Palestinians to descend the tree they have climbed by refusing negotiations, but it is not binding on Israel," several Israeli media outlets quoted an unnamed minister as saying.
The minister was quoted as saying that Netanyahu's government would reject the appeal from the Quartet but accept a parallel invitation issued by the United States that would be "more balanced."
The Palestinians have said it will be modeled on a Quartet statement issued in Moscow in March that called on Israel to halt settlement construction, and for the direct talks to lead to a final peace deal in two years.
Meanwhile
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- IOA decides to raze 30 Palestinian buildings in Jerusalem village
Uprooted Palestinian
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