Israel
might hold up the next
terrorist release out of anger over 'Palestinian' leaks related to the 'peace talks.'
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.
...
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.
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