Netanyahu proposes Egyptian hosted peace summit with Abbas

This proposal sounds like it was made in order to be refused. Benjamin Netanyahu must realize that an Egyptian-hosted peace summit is not the ideal thing for Israel, but it is certainly tempting bait. Mahmoud Abbas for his part, cannot negotiate with Israel seriously because of the reaction it would provoke from the Hamas and from his own camp. Netanyahu as well cannot make any serious proposals as long as his government depends primarily on right wing parties.

 

Last update - 18:29 01/01/2010       
Netanyahu proposes peace summit with Abbas this month
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later this month in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, government sources said Thursday.

 

"There is a possibility of a breakthrough surrounding the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office said earlier Thursday.

 

The Egyptian administration began efforts to bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table following Netanyahu's recent visit in Cairo, the officials said.
 
"Israel's idea of an Egypt-hosted peace summit with Abbas was proposed during Netanyahu's talks with Mubarak," an Israeli official told Reuters. Another official confirmed Netanyahu had raised the summit idea.

 

They added that Abbas was expected to arrive in Cairo next week to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. They said further that the Egyptian diplomacy was being closely coordinated with the American administration.

 

Nabil Abu Rdainah, an aide to Abbas, said the region "will see important political activity in the next two weeks."

 

The plan is to send Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to Washington after Abbas meets with Mubarak, to brief the American administration on any progress.

 

The Egyptian initiative apparently stems from promises made by Netanyahu to Mubarak during his trip earlier this week regarding Israel's commitment to peace talks. Netanyahu presented Mubarak with agreements reached between Israel and the U.S. regarding the preconditions for talks, including the issues of Jerusalem and the Palestinian demand to return to 1967 borders...