Israel Matzav

Shalom and Erekat meet in Jordan, Europeans sponsor, US not informed

Interior Minister Sylvan Shalom and 'Palestinian' chief negotiator bottle washer Saeb Erekat had a get-acquainted meeting in Amman on Thursday. Jordan knew of and sponsored the meeting alongside the European Union. In a reflection of just how important Obama and Kerry are to the 'process,' the United States was not even told.

A private individual who holds no official position in the Israeli government acted as a middleman in preparing for last Thursday’s meeting between Interior Minister Silvan Shalom and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, Haaretz has learned.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were aware of the talks about holding the meeting and approved it. Senior officials in the Jordanian government and the European Union were also involved. The United States, however, was kept in the dark and Israel did not update the Americans before or after the meeting took place.

...

At a certain stage European Union envoy Fernando Gentilini tried to coordinate between the sides and even suggested the meeting be held in Brussels, however Erekat asked that it be held in Amman, Jordan, which brought the Jordanian government into the secret. Erekat did not present preconditions for the meeting, beyond that it be held at a neutral venue.

The two-hour meeting was mainly intended for the two to get acquainted. Both Erekat and Shalom presented initial suggestions on how to restart the peace process, but did not enter into a detailed discussion. They agreed to report back to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and to meet again in the near future.

The Amman meeting began in the presence of Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, and later Erekat and Shalom continued in private.

I don't really expect this to go anywhere. The 'Palestinians' are hoping the United Nations will do their dirty work by passing a resolution in September mandating a 'Palestinian state.'  But the big story here is the non-existent American influence. #ThanksObama.

Labels: Abu Mazen, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, European Union, Jordan, Middle East peace process, Saeb Erekat, Sylvan Shalom

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:04 AM