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The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) chief negotiator for peace talks with Israel on Sunday condemned the vote by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation in favor of a bill that would annex the Jordan Valley and place it under full Israeli sovereignty. Four ministers voted in favor of the draft law, which was proposed by Likud MK Miri Regev. Three opposed it. Responding to the vote, chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat told the Ma’an news agency that the decision destroys all efforts for peace with Israel, showing the Israeli government's "indifference" toward international law. Erekat added that the PA’s response should be...

Israeli and Palestinian Authority negotiators on Tuesday night concluded a third meeting as part of the renewed peace talks between the sides. The meeting, reportedly held at an undisclosed location in Jerusalem, was described as “serious”. The sides agreed to meet again soon. As usual, Israel was represented at the meeting by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s envoy Yitzhak Molcho. The PA side was represented by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Shtayeh. The late evening meeting, which ended shortly before midnight, was the second meeting of the day between the sides. Earlier Tuesday, a senior...

In the wake of the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat’s angry letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry about Israel’s new settlement building amid the resumption of peace talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his own letter to Kerry over the weekend, lambasting the Palestinians for failing to curb incitement against Israel. Netanyahu wrote to Kerry that leading Palestinian Authority officials were calling for Israel’s destruction even after peace talks resumed on July 31 in Washington — the first major effort since negotiations broke down in 2008. Incitement and peace don’t go together,” Netanyahu wrote, explaining that new generations...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Friday the resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "I'm pleased to announce that we've reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Kerry told reporters in Amman, Jordan, according to AFP. The top U.S. diplomat added that PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli negotiator Justice Minister Tzipi Livni would meet him in Washington "to begin initial talks within the next week or so." In his brief comments to the press, Kerry praised the courage of PA Chairman...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Friday the resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "I'm pleased to announce that we've reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Kerry told reporters in Amman, Jordan, according to AFP. "This is a significant and welcome step forward,” he added. “The agreement is still in the process of being finalized so we are absolutely not going to talk about any of the elements now." The top U.S. diplomat added that PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli...

JERUSALEM - The Obama administration is exploring whether a long-abandoned initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia 11 years ago could become the basis for a regional peace agreement between Israel and its neighbors, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. With U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry due to arrive in the region over the weekend, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been conferring with other Arab leaders on the viability of the plan, which calls for a normalization of relations between Israel and all the Arab states in exchange for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. Israeli and Palestinian officials confirmed...

Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat deplored Israel's threats against Iran and Syria, but meantime reiterated that an Israeli aggression against either country would be unlikely. "I believe that all these remarks are empty threats and I don't think that (military action) is going to happen," Erekat said, answering to a question about Tel Aviv's continued war rhetoric against Iran and Syria. He said that the West is seeking to spark and spread Iranophobia in the region in a bid to stop its influence. "The region does not need a war or beating the drums of war. The region needs peace,"...

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat's hate-filled and racist remarks Obama missed a wonderful opportunity to reprimand (PA) Chief Negotiator - Saeb Erekat - for his hate-filled and racist remarks made at a meeting held by the International Peace Institute (IPI) in NY just ten days ago in the presence of Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister. That opportunity was afforded President Obama at a joint press conference he held with ... Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu... Mr Erekat’s remarks were racist, highly provocative and amounted to incitement on a level never heard from so senior a member of the PA before....

BLITZER: All right. What about the suggestion -- you seemed to imply the other day that the Palestinians were now pawns, there was a bigger battle underway in the region that other outside forces were trying to exploit the Palestinians for their own political purposes. When I heard you say that, I thought maybe you were referring to Iran or Syria. I wasn't exactly sure whom you were referring to. What were you referring to? EREKAT: I will tell you something, Wolf. I think -- there is a saying in my mind that this region has never missed an opportunity...

A Pathetic Arabist-Propagandist face when facing the truth On Italian TV's Rai station on "Porta a Porta" (Nov, 23, 2006) the discussion went to the question if Italian troops should change their original mission from "peace keeping" to finally disarming the terrorists group Husbullah. It got some momentum at the background of Syrian - Iranian allies inside Lebanon murdered the Christian leader: P. Gemayel, and fear of civil war. The higlight was actually further on, You should have seen the response from all in the room to the cheap propaganda that the Communist part leader Mr. Giordani (wha was sitting...

Human Rights Watch and Saeb Erekat lack objectivity The Israeli Defense Forces recently concluded a report on the tragic deaths of seven Palestinians on a Gaza Beach. As detailed yesterday in HR's special report "Gaza Beach Libel", the IDF has carefully analyzed all evidence and proven that it was not responsible for this tragedy. In the past 24 hours, our report has generated over 500 letters to the media. While some news organizations have reported the IDF findings, it certainly does not compensate for the highly emotive front page initial accusations.At the same time, many in the media have been...

The Palestinian Authority's (PA) chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, is the latest PA official to demonstrate that PA leaders send one message to their people in Arabic and an entirely different message to the world media in English. This week's news includes a striking example of this duplicity. Upon hearing that three Palestinian children, aged 13, 14 and 16, were caught by Israel on the way to a suicide mission, Erekat was quick to create the impression for the English media that the PA opposes such actions. "That´s absolutely unacceptable," Erekat told the Associated Press. "Our children should have hope and...

The Palestinian Authority's (PA) chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, is the latest PA official to demonstrate that PA leaders send one message to their people in Arabic and an entirely different message to the world media in English. This week's news includes a striking example of this duplicity. Upon hearing that three Palestinian children, aged 13, 14 and 16, were caught by Israel on the way to a suicide mission, Erekat was quick to create the impression for the English media that the PA opposes such actions. "That´s absolutely unacceptable," Erekat told the Associated Press. "Our children should have hope and...

Feb. 2, 2003 Arafat aide praises Ramon as 'courageous' By LAMIA LAHOUDThe Palestinian Authority praised Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon on Saturday as "a courageous man" and offered condolences to his family. The condolences were conveyed in a statement issued by Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. In a separate interview with The Jerusalem Post, Bassam Abu-Sharif, an adviser to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, called the disaster "very sad." He went on to describe Ramon as "a courageous man who dedicated his life for the prosperity of mankind." "Anyone who dedicates his life for better life for human beings is dedicated...