Olmert hiding behind hollow words, says Beilin
Politicians show little faith in Olmert's invitation to Arab leaders to meet with him. Peace Now calls his statements 'cheap populism'
First reactions to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's display of willingness to meet with Arab leaders on Sunday show that politicians are still weary of his sincerity.
Accusing Olmert of being delusional, MK Zvi Hendel (National Union-National Religious Party) said, "On the day that the government is presented with a study showing armament of terrorist organizations in Gaza, he (Olmert) makes delusional declarations that are detached from reality instead of instructing the IDF to pull the murderous terror by its roots."
"Instead of hiding behind hollow words, Olmert needs to grab the bull by the horns, and at least negotiate with our neighbors, but it's safe to assume that the odds of him doing so are slim to none," Beilin added.
MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) said, "The leaders of Arab countries will not accept Olmert's proposal, which is nothing more than PR. Olmert wants normalization according to the agreement, which is like putting the cart before the horse."
MK Avshalom Vilan (Meretz-Yahad) attacked Olmert, saying, "I remind the prime minister that international politics is conducted via secret, efficient contact, and it's not enough to release statements to the press before Passover."
At least one supporter of Olmert's initiative could be found within the Kadima party. MK Yoel Hasson said, "The prime minister's initiative to meet with moderate Arab states is a positive step that should be welcomed."
'Content also required'
Uri Savir, one of the initiators of the Oslo Accords, believes that Olmert's message is appropriate, "But it should be accompanied by a statement of content, saying that not all the clauses of the Arab initiative are acceptable, but that there could definitely be a basis for such a meeting.
"I also believe that coming to the meeting with Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) is appropriate. There have not been many summits that failed. The Madrid Convention led to Oslo. I hope that this is accompanied by secret diplomacy in which the stances which will be presented by Israel in the summit are made clear to the Palestinians, the Muslims and the Egyptians," Savir added.
Dr Dore Gold, president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, told Ynet that "when one suggests negotiations, two things must be guaranteed: 1. Reaching a basis which the State of Israel could live with, such as 242 which promises safe and familiar borders; 2. A good infrastructure of relations between the United States and the Arab partners.
"However, this is not the case. I believe there is a serious deterioration in the relations. The Saudi king cancelled a White House gala scheduled for April and spoke against the American occupation in Iraq," Gold said.
The left-wing Peace Now movement said that "Olmert's statements are cheap populism. Instead of making empty statements, the prime minister should immediately launch serious negotiations based on the Saudi initiative to bring about a real solution to the conflict."
Meital Zur contributed to this report
