Israel Matzav

Kerry spoke too soon?

US Secretary of State John Kerry may have spoken too soon when he announced on Friday night that 'negotiations' between Israel and the 'Palestinians' would be resuming. The 'Palestinians' say that they're not coming to the table until Israel agrees that the 'negotiations' will be 'based upon' the 1949 armistice lines, and Israel has already rejected that demand.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will not depart for preliminary peace talks in Washington until his government receives assurances regarding Israel’s readiness to negotiate a deal based on the 1967 lines and a commitment to release prisoners who have been serving sentences handed down before the signing of the Oslo Accords, the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al-Hayat reported Tuesday.

Erekat, the veteran negotiator, is due to meet with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s envoy Yitzhak Molho early next week in the American capital to discuss the terms for renewing talks. 

A spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that Erekat would insist on establishing a framework for negotiations that would eventually address key Palestinian demands before direct talks with Israel resume, according to Israel Radio.

Do I hear a 7th John Kerry trip here next week?

Labels: Abu Mazen, Binyamin Netanyahu, John Kerry, Middle East peace process, negotiations without preconditions, Saeb Erekat, Tzipi Livni, Yitzchak Molho

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:16 PM