george-mitchell

Erakat Says U.S.-Mediated Indirect Peace Talks With Israel `Have Started’

by on May 9, 2010

By Gwen Ackerman and Saud Abu Ramadan May 9 (Bloomberg) — U.S.-mediated peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority “have started,” senior Palestinian official Saeb Erakat said, ending a breakdown that lasted almost a year and a half. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will act as a chief negotiator and all core issues, such as Jerusalem, borders and refugees will be on the table during the four months of indirect negotiations, Erakat said in remarks published today by the official Wafa news agency. His comments followed a second meeting between Abbas and U.S. envoy George Mitchell in as many days. Mitchell was expected to return to Washington later today. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed yesterday’s decision by the Palestinians to resume talks, saying he hoped they would lead to direct negotiations. “In the long term, it is impossible to arrive at decisions and agreements on critical issues, such as security and national interests, without sitting together in the same room,” he said at today’s Cabinet meeting. Talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in December 2008 after Israel sent forces into the Gaza Strip in an operation the government said aimed to stop cross-border rocket attacks. Abbas had linked participation in the talks to Israel’s agreeing to freeze plans to build new homes for Jews in east Jerusalem, captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and sought by the Palestinians as the capital of a future state. Core Issues An Israeli official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to give details of the negotiations, said Israel had agreed core issues such as Jerusalem, borders and refugees may be raised in the talks for preliminary discussion, on the understanding that any solutions would be found in direct talks. Netanyahu adviser Yitzhak Molcho will be sitting with Mitchell during the indirect talks, the official added. “In a certain sense, proximity talks are mainly theater,” said Gerald Steinberg , a political scientist at Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv. “Certainly nobody expects proximity talks to lead to anything substantial.” Opposition and Kadima party leader Tzipi Livni , the former foreign minister who was a chief negotiator with the Palestinians under the previous government, called the indirect talks a test of Netanyahu’s readiness to make decisions for peace. “I hope these talks will have content, that they will be true talks, and I hope we will not miss this opportunity,” Livni said today in an e-mailed statement. Talks Stalled U.S. efforts to initiate indirect discussions stalled in March when Israel approved a plan to build 1,600 new homes for Jews in east Jerusalem during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden . U.S. officials criticized the plans and Palestinian officials said they were reconsidering their participation in the talks. Netanyahu, while publicly saying construction in Jerusalem will continue, may have slowed projects in disputed areas of the city. The planning committee responsible for approving construction in Jerusalem , which gave the go-ahead for the building plans in March, met last week for the first time since Biden’s visit. No building plans related to east Jerusalem were on the agenda, committee member and Jerusalem Councilman Yair Gabbay said in a phone interview last week. To contact the reporter on this story: Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net Saud Abu Ramadan in Jerusalem at sramadan@bloomberg.net

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Erakat Says U.S.-Mediated Indirect Peace Talks With Israel `Have Started’

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Abbas Agrees to U.S.-Mediated Talks With Israel After Gaining PLO Approval

by on May 8, 2010

By Gwen Ackerman and Saud Abu Ramadan May 9 (Bloomberg) — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to U.S.-mediated indirect talks with Israel after receiving Palestine Liberation Organization approval that cleared the way for the first negotiations in 17 months. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said Abbas informed U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell of his decision in a meeting yesterday in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The indirect negotiations, also called “proximity” talks, will last for four months and focus on border and security issues that would include the issue of a disputed area of Jerusalem, he said. “It’s time now to take decisions and implement them on the ground,” Erakat told journalists after the meeting. Talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in December 2008 at the start of an Israeli military initiative in the Gaza Strip the government said was intended to stop cross- border rocket attacks. Abbas had linked his participation in the U.S.-proposed indirect talks to Israel freezing plans to build new homes for Jews in east Jerusalem, captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and sought by the Palestinians as the capital of their state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “welcomes the resumption of peace talks,” a statement relayed by his spokesman Nir Hefez said. Netanyahu stressed that the negotiations should be exempt from any preconditions and lead quickly to direct talks. Core Issues An Israeli official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to give details of the negotiations, said Israel had agreed core issues such as Jerusalem, borders and refugees, could be raised in the talks for preliminary discussion, on the understanding that any solutions would be found in direct talks. “In a certain sense, proximity talks are mainly theater,” said Gerald Steinberg , a political scientist at Bar Ilan University outside Tel Aviv. “Certainly nobody expects proximity talks to lead to anything substantial.” U.S. efforts to initiate the indirect talks stalled in March when Israel approved a plan to build 1,600 new homes for Jews in east Jerusalem during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden . The plans were criticized by U.S. officials and led the Palestinians to reconsider their participation in the negotiations. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jaber al-Thani said May 1 that Arab ministers received “positive indicators from the U.S. mediator” before agreeing that the Palestinians should restart talks. U.S. Guarantees “U.S. guarantees, which were offered to the Palestinian leadership, were the reason behind today’s acceptance to join the talks,” Yasser Abed Rabbo , a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee that approved the talks yesterday, told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Netanyahu, while publicly insisting construction in Jerusalem will continue, may have slowed projects in disputed areas of the city. The planning committee responsible for approving construction in Jerusalem , which gave the go-ahead for the building plans in March, met last week for the first time since Biden’s visit. There were no building plans related to east Jerusalem on the agenda, committee member and Jerusalem councilman Yair Gabbay said in a phone interview last week. The U.S. will declare the starting day for the talks and describe what guarantees were offered the Palestinians, Erakat said. Abbas is expected to meet with Mitchell again today to discuss the mechanism for holding the indirect talks, the statement from his office said. To contact the reporters on this story: Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net ; Saud Abu Ramadan in Gaza at sramadan@bloomberg.net .

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Abbas Agrees to U.S.-Mediated Talks With Israel After Gaining PLO Approval

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Clinton Awaits Israeli Response on Commitment to U.S.-Brokered Peace Talks

March 16, 2010

By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan March 17 (Bloomberg) — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. is seeking assurances from Israel and the Palestinian Authority of each side’s commitment to U.S.-brokered indirect peace talks following a flap over Israeli settlements. A scheduled trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories by U.S. special envoy George Mitchell was postponed in part because the Obama administration is awaiting a response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to requests Clinton made during a phone call to him on March 12, State Department spokesman Phillip J. Crowley said yesterday. “We are engaged in a very active consultation with the Israelis over steps that we think would demonstrate the requisite commitment to this process,” Clinton told reporters in Washington yesterday. Mitchell was planning to set the so-called proximity talks in motion, adding momentum to President Barack Obama ’s efforts to settle Israeli-Palestinian differences and move toward creation of a Palestinian state. The Israeli government stood firm yesterday on its policy of building Jewish homes in all parts of Jerusalem in the face of U.S. objections and outbreaks of violence in the capital’s Arab neighborhoods. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said any ban on Jewish building in east Jerusalem is unacceptable. “There can’t be a situation where only Jews are prohibited from building in Jerusalem, while Arabs are allowed to both build and buy,” Lieberman said in an interview with Israel Radio. Protesters Dispersed Police used stun grenades to disperse Palestinian protesters in two areas of east Jerusalem and arrested 60 of the demonstrators yesterday. Fifteen policemen were injured in the disturbances. Clinton said she had expressed to Netanyahu U.S. “dismay and disappointment” over Israel’s announcement during a visit last week by Vice President Joe Biden of plans to construct 1,600 apartments for Jewish residents in east Jerusalem. Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the site of a future capital of an independent state. The U.S. asked Palestinian leaders this week to refrain from any incitement that could stoke tension in the region. Clinton dismissed the suggestion that U.S.-Israeli relations were experiencing their worst strain in three decades, saying, “I don’t buy that,” and stressing Washington’s “close, unshakeable bond” with the Israeli people. Speech Planned Clinton plans to speak next week at the Washington policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has called on the administration to “defuse the tension” with Israel. Michael Oren , the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement late yesterday that “recent events do not — I repeat — do not represent the lowest point in relations between” the two countries. He added: “Though we differ on certain issues, our discussions are being conducted in an atmosphere of cooperation as befitting long-standing relations between allies. I am confident that we will overcome these differences shortly.” Clinton’s Call In the 43-minute call on March 12, Clinton told Netanyahu that the U.S. wants three things from Israel to prove its commitment to Mideast peace: a freeze on construction of the new housing units announced for east Jerusalem; a gesture to bolster the Palestinian Authority, such as the restoration of economic exchanges, and a pledge that talks would tackle substantive issues, such as the final status of Jerusalem and the return of refugees, a U.S. official familiar with the talks said. The official, who was privy to the talks, spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversation was private. A response from Netanyahu is possible as early as today, the official said. As a gesture to kick-start stalled peace talks, Netanyahu had pledged a 10-month settlement freeze, with certain exclusions, on territories annexed by Israel since 1967. Palestinian officials for the past year had opposed any return to negotiations without a settlement freeze first. Arab states earlier this month endorsed U.S. plans for indirect talks, in part because of Israel’s conditional moratorium. The State Department last week used some of its strongest language toward Israel since Obama took office, going so far as to question Israel’s attitude toward its friendship with the U.S. Crowley said Clinton had told Netanyahu that he would have to “demonstrate not just through words, but through specific actions, that they are committed to this relationship and to the peace process.” To contact the reporter on this story: Indira Lakshmanan in Washington at ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net

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Netanyahu Says Israel’s Decision on East Jerusalem Housing Was `Harmful’

March 14, 2010

By Gwen Ackerman and Calev Ben-David March 14 (Bloomberg) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called last week’s announcement of approval to build new homes in east Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden ’s visit “harmful” and “unfortunate.” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Netanyahu to lodge “strong objections” to what she said was “a deeply negative signal,” State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley told reporters on March 12 in Washington. The Israeli leader was “surprised” by the condemnation, having thought his apology to Biden was sufficient, the daily Haaretz reported yesterday, citing unidentified officials in Netanyahu’s office. “There was an unfortunate incident carried out in good faith, that was harmful and certainly should not have happened,” Netanyahu said in comments to ministers ahead of today’s weekly Cabinet meeting. Biden’s visit was intended to make further progress toward the start of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians, announced just before his arrival. Instead, Israel’s approval of 1,600 homes in east Jerusalem prompted the Palestinians to reconsider their participation in U.S.-backed negotiations. Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed in a move not internationally recognized, as the capital of a future state. “The announcement on the new construction was interpreted by Washington as a breach of faith and a breaking of the rules of the game,” said Avraham Ben-Zvi, professor of international relations at Haifa University. “It is unfortunate for Israel in terms of political impact.” New Committee Netanyahu decided last night to form a committee headed by the director-generals of the Housing Ministry and the Jerusalem municipality to look into the events, Netanyahu’s spokesman, Nir Hefez, said in a statement. The committee will establish procedures to prevent a repeat, it said. Israel, which announced a partial 10-month construction freeze in the West Bank in November, has said the building halt doesn’t include Jerusalem. U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell , the former U.S. senator and peace mediator in Northern Ireland, is scheduled to return to the region next week to get the indirect talks on track. To contact the reporters on this story: Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net .

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Biden Says Israel, Palestinians to Be Held Accountable for Peace Obstacles

March 10, 2010

By Gwen Ackerman and Jonathan Ferziger March 10 (Bloomberg) — Vice President Joe Biden said Israel and the Palestinians will be held “accountable” for actions jeopardizing peace efforts, such as Israeli approval of a plan for new homes in east Jerusalem. “As we move forward the United States will hold both sides accountable for any statements or actions that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of talks, as this decision did,” Biden said in the West Bank town of Ramallah after meeting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas . Israel’s announcement yesterday of plans to build 1,600 new homes was the second construction plan approved this week in areas sought by Palestinians for a future state, and comes as Biden seeks to revive peace talks. Palestinian leaders, who refused to talk directly to Israel because of continued building in the West Bank, this week agreed to a U.S. proposal for indirect negotiations. Israel also agreed to the talks. “I call on Israel to halt settlement activities and stop imposing facts on the ground,” Abbas said in Ramallah. He said Israel shouldn’t “waste the opportunity to make a real peace and allow efforts by President Barack Obama and George Mitchell to succeed.” Biden yesterday condemned Israel’s plan to build in east Jerusalem, saying it threatened to undermine peace efforts. The last round of peace talks collapsed in 2008 when Israel launched a military initiative in the Gaza Strip in what it said was a bid to stop rocket attacks on its southern towns and cities. To contact the reporters on this story: Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net ; Jonathan Ferziger in Jerusalam and Ramallah at 1200 or jferziger@bloomberg.net .

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Europe Presses Israel to Halt Settlement Construction as Ashton Visits

March 6, 2010

By James G. Neuger March 6 (Bloomberg) — The European Union pressed Israel to halt settlement construction as planned indirect talks with the Palestinians gave a new flicker of hope to the Middle East peace process. With U.S.-mediated talks slated to start in coming days, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she will travel to the region to keep the pressure on both sides. Europe’s priority is “supporting the Palestinian Authority particularly in what I would describe as state building,” Ashton told reporters today after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cordoba, Spain. Peace talks ground to a halt after Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip in late 2008. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to partially freeze the West Bank settlements, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said only a full freeze would lead him back to the negotiating table. “This continuation of the settlements is really something that stands in the way,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said. “This provocation has to stop.” Under the “proximity talks” at as yet undisclosed locations, U.S. envoy George Mitchell will shuttle between meetings with the Israeli and Palestinian sides in order to reopen communications channels. Arab states on March 3 endorsed that formula, which allows Abbas to sidestep a vow to boycott negotiations as long as Israeli construction on the West Bank continues. ‘Two to Tango’ In the absence of progress in four months, the Arab League ministers said they would make a new appeal to the United Nations Security Council. Israeli police clashed with Palestinians at a Jerusalem holy site yesterday after officers said stones were hurled at Jewish worshippers in the area. Injuries were reported on both sides. “It takes two to tango,” Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said. “If there is no willingness for peace or a settlement on the Israeli side or the Palestinian side, we might as well be here in 10 years talking about the same stuff.” Ashton said she has asked Israel to make it possible for her to visit Gaza, home to 1.4 million Palestinians. Gaza is ruled by the Islamic Hamas movement and is under an Israeli economic blockade. The trip starting March 14 marks Ashton’s highest-profile diplomatic venture since taking on the EU post in November. National ministers in Cordoba defended her against criticisms that that she hasn’t been active enough. “I’m not here to raise questions about Lady Ashton,” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said. “Quite the contrary: I want her to succeed.” Discussions also started over the shape of a European foreign service headed by Ashton, bringing together as many as 7,000 EU and national officials. The EU will start setting up the service later this year. To contact the reporter on this story: James G. Neuger in Cordoba, Spain at jneuger@bloomberg.net

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Israeli Government Approves 10-Month Settlement Building Halt in West Bank

November 25, 2009

By Gwen Ackerman and Calev Ben-David Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government approved a 10-month halt to new housing construction in West Bank settlements and called on Palestinians to resume peace talks. “This is not an easy step, it is a painful step, but we are taking it out of broad national security considerations with the goal of renewing negotiations to achieve peace with our neighbors, the Palestinians,” Netanyahu said at a press conference in Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an e-mailed statement that the Israeli decision “helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” Her comment came within minutes of Netanyahu’s announcement. George Mitchell, the U.S. Middle East peace envoy, said the move “falls short of a full settlement freeze but it is more than any Israeli government has done before.” Palestinians have refused to resume peace talks unless Israel ends all construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which they seek as the capital of a state. Netanyahu said today that Israel wouldn’t halt construction in east Jerusalem or of public buildings in the West Bank, such as synagogues and kindergartens. “The Palestinian Authority rejects the partial stopping of settlement and calls for the complete cessation of settlement activities in the West Bank and in Jerusalem,” Saeb Erakat , the top Palestinian negotiator, said today before Netanyahu’s official announcement. The Palestinian Authority “is calling on President Barack Obama to exert more pressure on Israel to completely stop settlements.” Military Operation Israeli-Palestinian negotiations broke down last December when Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Obama administration’s high-profile efforts to bring the two sides together have failed to break the stalemate. “There is a sense that the Israeli government is aware that a vacuum in the Israel-Palestinian political process does not play to Israel’s favor,” said Jonathan Spyer , a political scientist at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center outside Tel Aviv. “It invites the possibility of imposed solutions from outside.” Ministers today approved a 10-month suspension of new residential construction permits and of new homes in the West Bank. The freeze will not apply to public building in the West Bank or to construction in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move that was not internationally recognized. Population Growth Israel approved the construction of 455 housing units on the West Bank on Sept. 7, while work is already under way on another 2,500. Netanyahu has said settlers should be allowed to build new homes and schools in existing settlements to accommodate population growth. A Jerusalem planning committee on Nov. 17 approved the building of 900 new homes in the area of Gilo, built beyond the 1967 borders. Some members of Netanyahu’s Likud party, which has traditionally advocated settlement construction, said they opposed the plan. “Prime Minister Netanyahu must bring this decision to the Likud Knesset faction for their approval,” lawmaker Danny Danon said in an e-mailed statement. “If Netanyahu does not do so, I will personally convene an urgent meeting of the Likud Central Committee to correct this betrayal of commitments we made to our voters.” To contact the reporters on this story: Calev Ben-David in Jerusalem at cbendavid@bloomberg.net ; Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net .

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