Posted on 01/08/2008 8:47:47 AM PST by APRPEH
Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams will be instructed to start talking about core issues such as Jerusalem, the refugees and the contours of a future Palestinian state, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas decided after a meeting in Jerusalem Tuesday.
"The two leaders decided to allow negotiating teams to conduct direct talks on all core issues," Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said. "We expect that the process will begin shortly."
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced earlier this week that he would quit the government and pull Israel Beiteinu out of the coalition if core issues were put on the negotiating table.
Lieberman views Tuesday's developments "gravely" and will request explanations from the PM but he understands that the negotiations are not going to begin until after President Bush, sources close to the minister of strategic affairs said. He will not cause a coalition crisis while Bush is in Israel, they said.
Sources close to Olmert said that they didn't expect Lieberman to leave because such a development wouldn't change "anything."
Main right-wing bloc party Likud called on Israel Beiteinu and Shas to quit the coalition following the new development.
The party's spokeswoman issued a statement saying "Shas sold Jerusalem in order to get the religious affairs ministry."
Olmert and Abbas met a day ahead of US President George W. Bush's arrival in the region, to try to wring progress out of talks that have barely advanced since the Annapolis peace conference.
At a previous meeting between the two leaders in Jerusalem on December 27, the Palestinians agreed to stop focusing negotiations on their demand that Israel halt plans to build hundreds of apartments in east Jerusalem.
But while negotiations are no longer being stalled by this particular affair, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said settlements would be brought up in the Abbas-Olmert talks on Tuesday.
Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said Israel would raise security issues, and urge the Palestinian Authority to be more effective.
"Obviously the security issue is the Achilles heel of the process," Regev said. "And it is very important for the Palestinians to work effectively to deal with these challenges."
Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayad is set to meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv later Tuesday to discuss security issues.
Meanwhile, Hamas forces on shore exchanged fire with Israeli naval boats off Gaza's southern coast earlier Tuesday, and Hamas said an IAF missile landed in nearby Egyptian territory. There were no reports of casualties.
The IDF said the exchange of fire took place during a patrol of the coast meant to block weapons smuggling into Gaza. The IDF added that claims that a missile landed in Egyptian territory were being looked into.
Fixed it.
Wasn’t Abbas Arafat’s right hand man? I wouldn’t trust Hamas, Abbas, Hizbollah, Al Qaeda, Aqsa Martyers brigade...and yet...and yet America in all her power( yes, I am an American, and in this case embarrased for the policy our gov’t is attempting to shove down the throats of the citizens of Israel) is doing it’s da**dest to forse israel to negotiate with known terrorists in another lying land for peace scandal...sick, just hypocritically sick.
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