CAIRO: A three-hour long meeting gathered Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well as Palestinian and Israeli officials in the West Bank Monday.
Olmert became the first Israeli leader to visit a Palestinian territory in seven years when he met with Abbas on the outskirts of Jericho in the West Bank. He described the atmosphere of the discussions as “good and positive .
Amidst heavy security and only a few hundred yards from an Israeli army checkpoint, the two leaders met at a five star hotel to kick off what is intended to be a series of such meetings.
Spokesperson at the Israeli Embassy in Cairo Shani Cooper-Zubida told Daily News Egypt that the discussions covered the basic issues for the creation of a Palestinian state, through the road map and as soon as possible.
Talks centered on the creation of a Palestinian state amid preparations for an international Mideast peace conference to be held in the US next November, she said.
The wider meeting of Israeli and Palestinian officials covered both economic and security issues. Indeed, there were discussions on the creation of a Joint Economic Council to boost both economies.
She added that Olmert is considering another release of Palestinian prisoners as a further show of support for Abbas and his faction Fatah, and that it was agreed that humanitarian aid to Gaza – under Hamas control for two months now – will continue.
“Israel has accepted this invitation as a mark of respect for the Palestinian Authority and President Abbas, said Zubida.
“It is an indication of Israeli willingness to develop real relations based on trust, she continued, “and begin discussions on the basic principles and issues in preparation for the upcoming peace conference in November.
The Associated Press quoted Olmert as saying, “I came here in order to discuss with you the fundamental issues outstanding between Israel and the Palestinian Authority hoping that this will lead us soon into negotiations about the creation of a Palestinian state.
However this did not mean what the Palestinians hoped it would, that talks would revolve around the four main issues of the conflict: the right of return for Palestinian refugees, the dismantling of Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem and the final borders of the Palestinian state.
According to AP, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, “What they need to do is to establish the parameters for solving all these issues. Once the parameters are established, then it can be deferred to experts.
Efforts by Daily News Egypt to contact the Palestinian embassy in Cairo were not fruitful.
An official from Olmert’s office, David Baker, told AP that the major issues aren’t on the agenda, and that this meeting would instead tackle Israeli security concerns and humanitarian aid to Palestinians, as well the institutions of a future Palestinian state.
Chief Executive Officer of the Palestinian Ramattan News Agency bureau in Cairo, Qassem Ali, told Daily News Egypt that the history of meetings between Olmert and Abbas generally elicited results that were rarely promising.
“Until now, meetings between Olmert and Abu Mazen [Abbas] have had no serious results. It is often more of a public relations exercise. There has not been one serious meeting between them, he said.
Besides, Ali added, “can Olmert offer anything to Palestine? Neither his personality nor his weight in Israeli politics suggest that he could.
Olmert’s visit comes after “the intense Palestinian divide which benefits Israel more than anyone, Ali said.
Hamas spokesman in Gaza Sami Abu Zahra said the meeting was only “aimed at beautifying the ugly image of the Israeli occupation before the world, AP reported, “all meetings will be of no benefit to the Palestinian people.
No Israeli Prime Minister had visited any Palestinian territory since the outbreak of the second intifada seven years ago. The last meeting was between late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in Ramallah.
Yet Ali considered the meeting to be more of show of support to Abbas, not “out of any interest to help the Palestinians, he said, but rather “Israel is encouraging Abu Mazen to continue boycotting Hamas, to increase the divide between the Palestinians.
If it was for any other reason, Ali continued, “then why didn’t they support him two years ago? Abu Mazen’s platform has always been clear.
As for the preparations for the November peace conference, Ali downplayed its importance. “It’s not a peace conference, it’s just a meeting. The Palestinians are exaggerating its importance after losing Gaza totally [to Hamas], he said.
