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Abbas vows: No talks without a freeze
By HERB KEINON, KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND HILARY LEILA -
Jerusalem Post
10 December, 2010
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=198831

Despite Washington’s announcement that it is looking for other ways besides a settlement construction moratorium to move the diplomatic process forward, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stressed on Thursday that peace talks will not resume unless Israel halts building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to deliver a major address on Friday setting out the US’s new thinking, after she met and spoken by telephone with a series of Israeli and Palestinian leaders and officials this week.

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Abbas, who was speaking to reporters in Cairo after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, said Mubarak agreed with him on the settlement freeze condition. He also emphasized that the Palestinians would not hold secret negotiations with Israel.

One of the ideas that have been raised in recent days was that after both Israeli and Palestinian officials hold a series of separate talks with the US on the core issues, the leaders would hold discrete talks to hammer out matters and move the process forward.

Abbas added that Arab League foreign ministers were expected to meet in the coming days to discuss the repercussions of Washington’s announcement.

“No matter what decisions the Arab League takes, my position and that of President Mubarak is that we won’t accept negotiations while settlement construction continues,” Abbas said. “We have made this position clear to the American administration.”



The Palestinians still don’t know exactly what kind of understandings the US had reached with Israel concerning the settlements, he said.

The PA president said that chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat has headed to Washington for “consultations” with US officials on the future of the peace process.

Erekat was dispatched to Washington following a phone conversation late on Wednesday between Clinton and Abbas.

Abbas said that he did not hear anything new from Clinton and that’s why he sent Erekat to Washington to find out exactly what happened between the US and Israel.

“Erekat will consult only with Clinton and [special envoy George] Mitchell and there will be no behind-the-scenes talks with Israel,” Abbas said. “And after he returns home, Mitchell will come.”

Asked what options he would consider if the peace process failed, Abbas said that he continues to insist on the establishment of a Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, borders. However, he did not rule out a “slight” land swap.

“After the establishment of the Palestinian state, we categorically reject any Israeli presence in the Palestinian territories,” he said.

“There are also other options including going to the UN [to seek recognition of a Palestinian state].”

Regarding the possibility of the PA going to the UN, one Israeli official said, “the international community shouldn’t be helping the Palestinians find excuses not to negotiate. People who want to see the peace process continue and succeed should be urging the Palestinians to return to the talks, not helping provide excuses for their not doing so.”

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said before a meeting in his Jerusalem office with Quartet envoy Tony Blair that Israel would be working with him and the Palestinians in the coming week to “have concrete developments in the field.”

Israeli officials have said in recent days that with the talks at a stalemate, Israel would redouble efforts to improve the economic situation in the West Bank.

At the same time, Netanyahu said, “I think we need to work with the US and the international community to find a route that will give us a horizon to a historic peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, two states for two peoples.”

Support for de-emphasizing the settlements in the whole diplomatic process came from an unusual quarter on Thursday, with Syrian President Bashar Assad saying after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris that “We are against putting settlements at the center of peace talks.

“If we want to talk about peace, we have to talk about legal rights, about territorial restitution, and not talk about the settlements,” Assad said. The Syrian president added that Israel was not “a partner for peace.”

In Washington, meanwhile, Clinton hosted Israeli envoy Yitzhak Molcho on Thursday as the US continued to look for ways to chart a new course.

Molcho is one of many Israeli officials holding contacts with the US this week, as Defense Minister Ehud Barak, National Security Adviser Uzi Arad, Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor and opposition leader Tzipi Livni are scheduled to come to Washington this weekend for the Saban Forum between American and Israeli leaders. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will also attend the Saban Forum.

An Israeli Embassy spokesman said Thursday’s meeting with Clinton capped several days of conversations Molcho has had with senior American officials.

Clinton is slated to give a major address at the Saban Forum on Friday night, but coming in the midst of contacts between the sides and the lack of clear signals from the administration in recent days, expectations are low for any groundbreaking statement.

Despite the recent stalemate in talks, a poll by Shibley Telhami unveiled at the opening of the Saban Forum on Thursday found that 41 percent of Americans surveyed say that the Obama administration’s diplomatic efforts are at the “right level,” while 30% say the administration is not trying hard enough and 21% say it is trying too hard.

The poll of Americans also found that two-thirds want the administration to “lean toward neither side” in mediating Israeli- Palestinian peace, while a quarter want it to lean toward Israel and 2% want it to lean toward the Palestinians.

A second part of the survey, which included Jewish and Arab Israelis, found that 72% of those surveyed support the American effort to mediate Palestinian- Israeli peace.

US President Barack Obama’s standing continues to be poor among Jewish Israelis, however, and is also dropping among Arab Israelis.



In an open-ended question, in which respondents were asked to name the world leader they most disliked, 41% of Israeli Jews picked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and 10% named Obama. However, Obama was also was cited as the third-most admired leader in another open-ended question.

And in response to yet a third, 41% of Israeli Jews said they held positive views of Obama and 51% negative views.

In comparison, 45% of Arab citizens of Israel have a favorable view of Obama; that number was 70% in 2009.

UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon’s office released a statement on Wednesday that said he took note “with regret” of Israel’s decision not to extend the freeze.

Jordana Horn contributed to this report.

More about: Washington, D.C., Israel, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Hosni Mubarak

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Talkback Add a Talkback Report Abuse Read all Talkbacks
11. Abbas you have the key
Author: Grace
Country:
12/10/2010 07:21


Let me give a little encouragement to Mr. Abbas, US is doing the right thing now, that they stopped bribing Israel to halt the settlement. Don`t hold on to the settlement issue any longer - PLEASE! The key to break the impasses is in your hand. Please prepare your `own negotiation plan` in detail according to what Palestinian wants for a reasonable deal. Go for the talk, don`t give up and you`ll make it, Palestinian is an important nation. We`re calling for a breakthrough between Israel-Palestinian relations. All the best.


10. Put a Freeze on Abbas
Author: Maggiedon
Country: USA
12/10/2010 02:29


In other words, give us Jerusalem, Israel, well Israel has to disappear and we will talk. The UN & EU agree. Best probably to give them a dose of freeze right under the left molar tooth. BE WELL!!!


9. Abbas is so 15 minutes ago...
Author: David
Country: USA
12/10/2010 02:26


No new ideas, no compromises, no-no-no, the same attitude that all the Arab states have had since Khartoum. If the Arab people want to fritter away their lives, like they have for the past 60 years (courtesy of their rich Arab brothers), then that is their choice. Fighting has got them nothing. Time to throw out Abbas and get in normal people. They must exist in the Arab world, right? Somewhere?


8. Abbas-Mazen`s words
Author: Leo
Country: U.S.
12/10/2010 02:00


Does this aging terrorist say what he does because they reflect his beliefs; they are fed to him by his political and economical masters or both? // If the belief of many in the West is true, then most of the Arabs known as Palestinian want peace. Abbas-Mazen has had enough time to accept concessions from Israel and to control what happens in the territory he leads. That has not happened, and Abbas-Mazen instead waivers from taking hard-line stands to sounding like he is ready for true progress. // This man is a weak double-talking terrorist. Treat him accordingly.


7. peace talk
Author: jk
Country: canada
12/10/2010 01:58


The man is scared of peace and wow it might the PALs. I do not know why but by making the settlement the core issue and creating preconditions to negotiations, they cannot move forward and he knows it. It is what he desires. What a drag on his people..


6. What a Laugh!
Author: awake
Country:
12/10/2010 01:51


Even with the freeze he refused to talk, refused to even agree to a state for Jews to live in, refused to admit that Jews have a history in Israel starting millenia back. So who in his right mind will believe that another freeze will make any positive difference? Abbas and company are using favorite Hitler`s tactics: 1] The Big Lie 2] Grab bit by bit until the big grab is easy.


5. Forget about the Palestinians
Author: MARK KLEIN, M.D.
Country: USA
12/10/2010 01:43


Talks or no talks the Palestinians have only one goal--the destruction of Israel. There`s no point in surrendering to their White Paper. As in Mandatory times, the Yishuv built where ever and when ever an opportunity arose. Israel must not lose the time window for building created by America going into a very hotly contested presidential election season and the world economy on the ropes.


4. Who cares
Author: rschondo
Country:
12/10/2010 01:41


Abbas is done and the world is done boo hooing over the PA. There are many more pressing problems to deal with


3. settlements
Author: Jordan
Country: Canada
12/10/2010 01:39


OK, let Abbas say what he wants. If he doesn`t want peace talks then so be it. Israel should stop making settlements... they should start making cities! Who cares what the P.A. thinks, Israel owns the Westbank and they shouldn`t forget that. They should offer free transportation into Jordan for the `palestinians` and purchase any land off of them and let the land blend in with the state of Israel. Then the land should be sold at discounted rate to non-palestinians. The IDF should then go full force into Gaza and wipe out Hamas for good. Long live Israel, from a Canadian friend of freedom.


2. Land for peace
Author: Bob
Country: USA
12/10/2010 01:34


Land for peace is a complete failure and with it the 2 State solution. Only the delusional still talk of a Palestinian state. Not going to happen, ever. Soon the wisdom of Israel annexing all the Land will be clear. Peace for peace only. Obama hasn`t a clue, but going for two-states is doomed to failure. Jews don`t trust the Arabs at all. Zero.


ca











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