Israel denies reports of failed diplomatic initiative in Egypt
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
By: ICEJ News

Direct talks between Israel and PA remain out of reach

The Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied Arab media reports on Tuesday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rejected an outline and map for a future Palestinian state presented by the Israeli leader during their meeting in Cairo on Sunday.

The reported plan included a map of proposed borders for a Palestinian state in the West Bank, but the London-based Arabic newspaper Ashaq al-Awsat claimed Mubarak rejected it because it did not meet the requirements of the Arab peace plan for Israel to retreat to pre1967 borders, except for minor adjustments to account for major Israeli settlements.

"The revelations found in foreign media are baseless and without foundation,” the PMO statement read. “The things attributed to Prime Minister Netanyahu, in particular, and with regard to the substance of the meeting did not occur."

Following the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters that the conditions were not yet right for moving from indirect to direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

In related news, Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor told Army Radio on Tuesday that Israel should be allowed to continue building in “consensus bloc” settlements in the West Bank after the expiration of the government's building freeze in late September.

"It is not right to build in areas that will go to Palestinians [after negotiations are completed], but it is right to continue building in areas that will belong to Israel, such as Ma'aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion," said Meridor.

"This is a dangerous position to take in negotiations. What incentive does this give to Palestinians for negotiations, to even come to the negotiating table," responded Danny Dayan, chairman of the Yesha settler's council.

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat have both declared that Israel's continued building in east Jerusalem and other regions over the Green Line would doom direct peace talks from the start.