New Middle East peace talks – Part II

Yesterday, the PLO Executive committee announced that Mahmud Abbas, president of the PNA (Palestinian Antional Authority), is allowed to participate in the peace talks with U.S. envoy Mitchell. Since then there were two meetings between the two men in Ramallah which is located in the West Bank.

“I can officially declare today that the proximity talks have begun,” stated the Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat after yesterday’s meeting to HaAretz. The condition for the success of the negotiations is that Israel has to stop its settlement movements in the Palestinian territories.  As soon as this is assured, it is possible to start direct peace talks with the Israeli side.

According to Erekat, Abbas gave a letter to Mitchell in which the position of the Palestinian Authority is stated. The goal of the negotiations is the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the “creation of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel along the 1967 borders.”

The Israeli government welcomed the Palestinian openness. “An essential condition for improving relations with the U.S. is taking steps that prove Israel is seriously committed to making decisions on the Palestinian issue once they reach the negotiating table,” said Defense Minister Ehud Barak. According to him, it is important for the Israeli state to take confidence-building measures and to find a way to communicate.

The rival Palestinian party Hamas declared that those peace talks will not lead into an acceptable position. According to HaAretz, the leaders of hamas said that “absurd proximity talks” would only “give the Israeli occupation an umbrella to commit more crimes against the Palestinians”.

New Middle East peace talks

Today, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and U.S. envoy George Mitchell met again in Jerusalem. This meeting marks the beginning of the peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. On friday, Mitchell will meet Mahmud Abbas, head of the PLO.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton declared that the USA plans to direct the Middle East peace process again.  George Mitchell should be the mediator between the two sides. It is not planned that both Netanyahu or  Abbas shall meet directly. The key issue of the negotiations will be the borders of the Palestinian state and with it the settlement policy of Netanyahu. Since November 2009, those settlements in the Palestinian territories stopped. It is a matter of public concern that this condition does not change.

Israel says it is willing to address key issues in the indirect talks  but maintains that a solution can only be found in direct negotiations. (See HaAretz) The Palestine government first had to get advice from the Arab league. For that reason,  Mahmud Abbas went to Cairo and Amman the other week, where he still is at the moment. He is expected to be back on Friday, ready for his meeting.