Palestinians sceptical over Netanyahu talks proposal (Roundup)

Jul 12, 2009, 13:13 GMT

   Tel Aviv/Ramallah - Palestinians expressed scepticism over an offer by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the immediate start of peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

   'I propose to the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Abu Mazen, that we meet soon at any site within Israel,' said Netanyahu during Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting, using the alternate name often used for Abbas.

   He also repeated his plea for other Arab states to work with Israel.

   The PA has stated it will only enter into peace talks with Israel if that country stops construction of all new settlements in the West Bank, a demand to which Netanyahu has so far been unwilling to agree.

   Netanyahu has offered to stop construction of new settlements and to halt land confiscation, but wants to allow for 'natural growth' of existing settlements.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called Netanyahu's offer 'unserious' and part of Israeli 'public relations.'

'Talking about peace is one thing and making peace is something completely different,' Erekat told reporters.

'We are not against peace negotiations with the Israelis, but the Netanyahu government is the one which is imposing conditions on the negotiations,' said Erekat.

He added that Netanyahu 'simply wants to tell the international community, 'Look here, I'm calling on the Palestinians to meet and they refuse'.'

Erekat called on the United States and the international Quartet - composed of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - 'to oblige Tel Aviv to respect its commitments.'

'It is time for the (US President Barack) Obama administration to move from calling Israel to implement its commitments to holding Israel responsible for not implementing these commitments,' Erekat added.

Erekat accused Netanyahu's government of refusing to negotiate final status issues such as Jerusalem and the borders, 'and insisting on continuing to build settlements.'

'It was not us who stopped the negotiations, it was them,' said Erekat.

Ra'ef Deyab, a member of the pro-Abbas Feda party, concurred with Erekat saying 'Netanyahu's calls to meet with President Abbas is part of an Israeli media campaign to deceive the international community.'

Deyab added that the Palestinian leadership 'should reject every call for Netanyahu to meet until he stops settlement, turning Jerusalem into a Jewish city, removing roadblocks and agree on resuming the final status talks.'

Meanwhile, Abbas in an interview published Sunday in the Egyptian weekly magazine October said 'the borders of the independent Palestinian state are the borders of 1967.'

He added that these borders 'were recognized by the world, and this state will include the West Bank, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, the Jordan's River and the no-go zone between Palestine and Israel.'

He added 'disagreements with Israel are focused on the exchange of territories and not on the principle of borders.'

'We didn't reach a deal with the Israelis because of their political dodge (evasions). If we had agreed on this issue, we would have easily agreed on the other three major issues such as borders, settlements and Jerusalem,' said Abbas.

Abbas also said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) was clinging to the US administration position which calls for a two-state solution and a stop to all settlement activities.

'We showed a full commitment to the roadmap (peace) plan, including the protection of Israel's security. Israel hasn't shown any commitment concerning the Palestinian state and stopping settlement activities,' said Abbas.