'Agreements with Israel must be revised'
PA readies to present new conditions for resumption of peace talks, but Palestinian officials say Ramallah is convinced Netanyahu's government is 'indifferent to peace'
The Palestinian Authority is ready to present its conditions for resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Al-Arabiya reported Saturday.
The Saudi website said that a communiqué to that effect will be relayed to Jerusalem by Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Jouda in a few days.
Related stories:
- Report: PA rejects Israeli incentive package Jordan's king blames Israel for deadlocked peace
- US says won't oppose Fatah-Hamas deal
The PA intends to have its demands reviewed by the United States prior to presenting them to Israel.
According to the report, "The message, written in both Arabic and English, includes a roundup of the Middle East peace process along the past two decades."
The PA's conditions, as detailed in the document, include a demand that Israel "agree to the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with the possibility of a limited exchange of equal pieces of land and a full halt to the building of settlements including in east Jerusalem."
Another conditions named include "The release of Palestinian prisoners, especially those detained before 1994, and cancelling all the decisions taken by the Israeli governments since 2000."
The Palestinians also demand that Israel "respects all of the agreements signed between both sides, as it is illegal that only the Palestinians abide by those international agreements and commitments."
'Israel indifferent to peace'
Palestinian sources told Ynet that the PA's leadership believes that the only way for the stalemate to be resolved is for Ramallah to review – and very possibly change – the PLO's agreements with Israel.
"The Palestinian president and Fatah are losing points in the court of public opinion by holding talks with Israel as things stand, because neither the Palestinian people nor the PA believe a Netanyahu-led government can strike peace," a top Palestinian official said.
Other Palestinian officials echoed the sentiment, saying that "the situation can't go on." Nimr Hammad, Abbas's bureau chief, said that the prolonged deadlock has "convinced the Palestinian Authority that the Israeli government is indifferent to the peace process."
He added that the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be made a matter for the international community – namely the United Nations – to resolve.
Jordan has recently hosted a series of Israeli-Palestinian meetings, in hope of breaching the deadlocked negotiations.
The overtures failed, prompting King Abdullah to say Israel was impeding the talks, adding he was "concerned over Israel's unilateral policies."
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
