Report: US delegation tells Abbas settlement freeze could ruin Netanyahu
Al-Hayat quotes Western sources saying no significant progress made in Ramallah meeting; Americans refuse to set borders of Palestinian state based on 1967 lines, clarify settlement construction halt not possible.
A US delegation led by President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has reportedly told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that a halt in settlement construction in the West Bank is impossible, because it could bring about the collapse of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, Western diplomatic sources told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper.
The Western sources also told the paper the delegation had not made significant progress in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians during the official visit to Ramallah.
The US delegation told Abbas that it would work to consolidate economic, security and diplomatic relations between Israel and the Palestinians before the talks begin. The Palestinians, for their part, sought economic freedom in Area C and a change in economic agreements.
In addition, the newspaper reported the American delegation expressed willingness to reach a two-state solution, despite the clarification that a settlement construction halt was not possible.
Al-Haya further reported the Americans refused to set the borders of the future Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines, and decided to leave this issue open to discussion by the two sides.
The US delegation, headed by Kushner and Trump's envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt, met separately on Thursday with Netanyahu and with Abbas in an effort to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace, something Trump referred to as "the ultimate deal."
A statement by the US Consulate General in Jerusalem called the meeting between the American delegation and the Palestinians "productive," noting that "Both sides agreed to continue with the US-led conversations as the best way to reach a comprehensive peace deal."
However, Palestinian officials were frustrated by the fact the American delegation refrained from committing to a two-state solution, telling the Washington Post that "negotiations without any set parameters would benefit only the Israeli side."
Ashraf Khatib, a spokesman for the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department, told the Post, "We have clearly emphasized to the Americans the importance of having a public statement that has a commitment to the two-state solution. There hasn't been any."
Khatib further warned that "Without a vision, it will be negotiations for negotiations’ sake."
On Friday evening, Abbas spoke on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and updated him on his meeting with the American delegation.
The Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported the phone call was part of ongoing consultations between the Palestinians and the Saudis, and that the two agreed to continue these consultations.
Earlier in the day, Abbas spoke to the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, also updating him on the talks with the American delegation.
