Israel to delay next terrorist release?
Even amid growing Israeli irritation at Palestinian leaks about the negotiations, Israeli officials refused Monday to respond when asked whether this could jeopardize plans for Jerusalem to release another group of Palestinian prisoners.
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One government official said that the framework for the talks also stipulated that only the Americans would brief on what was happening in the discussions. While Israeli officials are sticking closely to those guidelines, not even revealing where or when the talks take place, over the last 10 days there has been a cascade of leaks -- apparently from Palestinian sources -- appearing in the Arabic press that led to a formal Israeli protest to US special envoy Martin Indyk before Rosh Hashana.
The official acknowledged that another protest was likely since the initial one did not have any impact. He refused to spell out what Israel would do if the leaks did not cease, saying that "we are not there yet" and that Israel did not issue any ultimatum.
The official said there were three fundamental problems with the leaks. First, that they violated a commitment the Palestinians took upon themselves; secondly, that the leaks demonstrated bad faith; and thirdly that they made all the more difficult talks that were challenging enough as is.
"The leaks undermine the process," the official said, adding that it did not even matter whether they were true or not.
Among the leaks were reports that the talks were not going well, that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was offering "only" 90% of the West Bank, and that Israel was demanding control of the border crossings with Jordan as well as early warning stations in the Jordan Valley.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority on Monday accused Israel of destroying chances for peace by pursuing construction in the settlements and "seizing" more land in the West Bank.We can only dream that all the 'Palestinians' complaints about the 'talks' are true. Unfortunately, they're all false.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Binyamin Netanyahu, Jordan, Jordan Valley, Middle East peace process, Palestinian terrorists
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:39 AM
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