World Jewish News

Abbas gives talks four months

Neither the Palestinian leadership nor senior Israeli officials were optimistic Wednesday ahead of the anticipated launch of proximity talks mediated by US Middle East envoy George Mitchell.
The Palestinian president said proximity talks with Israel must focus on key issues such as final borders of a future Palestinian state, or they could collapse, after talks with Jordan's King Abdullah Wednesday. He gave the talks four months, and said after that, he will seek advice from the Arab League on next steps.
Speaking to CNN earlier Wednesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the Netanyahu government "extreme and uncooperative." The PA president added that "since they are an elected government, we have no choice but to work with them," but warned that he would halt negotiations should building in the West Bank continue.
The comments came as Abbas convened Fatah's Central Committee, which is expected to give Abbas permission to enter into proximity talks.
Also speaking Wednesday morning, National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau told Army Radio that the Palestinian side was already planning for the breakdown of the proximity talks.
"The Israeli government must make no more overtures to the Palestinians, they only embolden the other side and reduce the chances of reaching an agreement," he said.
Landau stressed that the Israeli people must decide the fate of Jerusalem among themselves, and once they have resolved it, should not be open to having discussions about it with other states.
“We do not discuss London with the British or Paris with the French, and neither should we discuss Jerusalem with them,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee heard Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz, head of Military Intelligence’s Research Division, also give a very bleak assessment of the Palestinian Authority's intentions, saying they were “already preparing the ground for the failure” of the proximity talks.

JPost.com