Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is considering George Mitchell's offer for "proximity talks" with Israel, and plans to issue a final response on Thursday, according to an interview with The Guardian.
Abbas told the newspaper he still supports direct talks with Israel -- assuming the latter approves a three-month complete settlement freeze, including East Jerusalem. Since that isn't likely to happen, Abbas said he would consider indirect talks. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, would presumably play a major role in those discussions.
Speaking in London after meeting Gordon Brown and the foreign secretary, David Miliband, the Palestinian leader said he did not know why the Americans "backed off" their demand for a full freeze. He would consult with Arab allies before responding on Thursday to the US Middle East envoy George Mitchell's call for proximity talks.
Israeli officials are also considering the offer, though it has reportedly caused sharp disagreement (عربي) between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Ehud Barak. Netanyahu wants to send Uzi Arad, his national security adviser, to head the Israeli delegation to any "proximity talks"; Barak insists he should head the delegation.
Netanyahu and Barak have increasingly sharp differences on a number of issues.
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Categories: Diplomacy, Israel, Israel & Palestine, Palestine, Politics, Regional News
Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, George Mitchell, Mahmoud Abbas, proximity talks, settlement freeze, Uzi Arad
1 Comment
What exactly do they hope to accomplish with these indirect talks? Abbas doesn't have the legitimacy he needs to get anything solid from this, and without Hamas involved in any kind of talks, I'm skeptical that such a thing can produce anything beyond a media spectacle.
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