Israel-Palestine: have contacts, no agreement

On February 4, at a meeting of the League of Arab States the leader of the Palestine Autonomy Mahmud Abbas will announce his decision on continuation of Israeli-Palestinian contacts.

During last week, the special envoy of Israeli Premier Netanyahu, the lawyer Isaac Molho, has met twice the head of the negotiation group Saib Arikat. Both meetings were held in the tense atmosphere. It is known that Israel insists on renewal of direct negotiations with Palestine, stating that it accepts all demands of the international mediators (the UN, the USA, Russia and the EU). At the same time, according to the Israeli side the talks should start from discussion of providing mutual security. The Palestinian side set a condition for recovery of the talks - full freezing of construction in residential areas, and they think negotiations should start from discussion of future borders between Israel and the Palestinian state. On the fourth meeting between Molho and Arikat Israeli Premier’s adviser came with a top official of the General Staff of Israeli Army to present the Israeli position on security issues, but Arikat refused from listening the officer. During that meeting the Palestinian side set a new condition for recovery of negotiations with Israel: discharging from prisons accused of terrorism members of the Palestinian parliament from Hamas, and many other terrorists, including the leader of terrorist organization Tanzim, Maruan Barguti. This condition was considered by the Israeli side as unacceptable. Ahead of the fifth meeting on January 25th King of Jordan Abdallah, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and other world leaders pressed on Israel for it comes to terms and present its position on future borders. As a result Molho presented some maps and a document, content of which is kept in secret. It seems the maps and the document Abbas will discuss with the leaders of Arab countries at the meeting of LAS. At the same time, the Palestinian side thinks that negotiations with Israel sputtered out and it is time for one-sided actions. Israel has its own strategy for Palestinians will make such decision.

At the same time, yesterday at the International Economic Forum in Davos Israeli President Shimon Peres stated that Palestinians have already had the state. Peres thinks that the latest sanctions of the EU against Iran are not enough for preventing the nuclear program. “We should prevent further interference of Iran with affairs of other states of the Middle East. Today Iran actually conducts missile attacks of Israel from Gaza, which doesn’t contribute to normalization of the situation. On the other hand, we should support population of Iran and convince them that they can get rid of the fundamentalist regime,” Peres said. He reminded that 20 years ago he became the initiator of the Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking process. Peres added that he sees no reason for turning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into international one, and it is high time for direct negotiations between two sides without mediators.

Petr Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively to VK.