PLO Approves Indirect Talks with Israeli Enemy

Al-Manar

07/03/2010 The Palestinians agreed on Sunday to enter into indirect US-led talks with Israel, ignoring all previous experience that proved that Resistance was the only means to preserve.

"The Palestinian leadership has decided to give an opportunity for the American suggestion to hold  between the Israeli and Palestinian sides,", a senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

The decision was taken at a PLO executive committee meeting. It came as US Middle East envoy George Mitchell was meeting with Israeli leaders on his latest trip to the region. US Vice President Joe Biden is expected later this week.

The Palestinians' approval was expected after Arab foreign ministers last week expressed grudging support for the talks, following months of shuttle diplomacy by Mitchell.

Abed Rabbo, the PLO secretary general, said the indirect talks would be limited to four months as proposed by the foreign ministers and should focus first on final borders. He stressed that Israeli settlement construction in the West would make direct negotiations impossible and could scupper the indirect talks.

Palestinian officials had expressed skepticism about the talks ahead of the meeting but said they did not want to be seen as hindering US-led efforts to revive peace talks suspended during the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza war.

"We think it's unlikely that these indirect negotiations with the Netanyahu government will succeed," senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said. "But we want to give an opportunity to the US administration to continue its efforts," Ahmad told AFP, referring to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Even if we agree, we have restrictions and requirements according to what the Palestinian people and the factions want, which means we might say 'Yes, we agree, but,'" he added.

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