Israel, US Plotting on Settlement Talks

01/09/2010 It seems that the US is optimistic concerning “peace talks” between Israelis and Palestinians despite the fact that the Palestinian reaction had been resilient on settlements freeze while Israel had rejected it.

“Direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority can be concluded within a year,” U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell said Tuesday, hours before the talks were set to begin in Washington.

Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington, where he was scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later in the day. Clinton launched the U.S. push for Mideast peace on Tuesday, holding one-on-one talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders before they sit down on Thursday for direct negotiations.

Mitchell insisted that while the United States recognized that "there are many experienced and knowledgeable people who hold different view," when "it really comes to the end, what is best for the people of Israel and the Palestinian people, I believe strong and persuasive arguments can be made."

"We recognize the importance of the direct bilateral meetings between the two leaders. We hope to proceed promptly after September 2, with meetings on an intensive basis - about every 2 weeks," Mitchell added.

Recently, American officials have tried to avoid as much as possible mentioning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as a 10-month moratorium on settlement construction, declared by Netanyahu last November, is about to expire on September 26. The Palestinians have announced unequivocally that if Israel resumes construction in the settlements, the negotiations would immediately break down.

“Our position on settlements is well known and it remains unchanged," Mitchell told reporters. "We always said parties should provide an environment that is conducive to negotiations. Our discussions continue with all sides on this issue."

Mitchell added that the United States was still trying to engage Syria – and that although he does not expect Palestinian faction Hamas "to play a role in this immediate process, we welcome the full participation of Hamas and all relevant parties once they comply with basic principles of democracy."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was on his way to Washington, sent a message to the settlers to the effect that they should leave. Speaking to the editor of the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency aboard his plane, Abbas said in his message: “You are living on land that doesn’t belong to you and this is impossible. You can’t impose facts on the ground, because the settlements are illegal and will be removed.”

ISRAELIS KILLING SHOULDN’T STOP TALKS STARTING

Ahead of Washington talks, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel ready to cede parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians in the framework of a “peace deal”. Partition in Jerusalem - at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -- would include a "special regime" for managing the city's holiest sites, Barak told Haaretz.

He said the killing of four Israelis by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank on Tuesday should not stop the talks starting.

NO BREAKTHROUGH YET

"West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours. The Arab neighborhoods in which close to a quarter million Palestinians live will be theirs," Barak schemed despite the fact that no breakthrough was estimated concerning settlements freeze.

"There will be a special regime in place along with agreed upon arrangements in the Old City, the Mount of Olives and the City of David," he said.

Barak's vision of two cities and a special regime in the so-called "holy basin" recalls a plan discussed by the previous Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, during “peace talks” with Abbas that fell apart almost two years ago.

Barak himself negotiated unsuccessfully with the Palestinians a decade ago as prime minister, singling out Jerusalem as the key stumbling point in reaching a deal. Barak also said any agreement would see the relocation of isolated Jewish West Bank outposts into Israel, which will keep larger urban settlement blocs.

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