BICOM

According to a report from Friday’s edition of Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, the European Union (EU), prompted by the UK and France, will present a new peace plan in March.

The report claims that the UK and French governments are spearheading the initiative, with additional support from Germany and that it will be presented by the EU once a new Israeli government is in place in March. According to diplomatic sources cited by Yediot Ahronot, the plan will set out a timetable for talks on all core issues during 2013. It will reportedly suggest negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians based on pre-1967 borders with appropriate land swaps, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and will also involve an Israeli settlement freeze.

The report indicates that the plan could eventually be adopted as a pan-European Union initiative by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. However, a report in the Telegraph this morning quotes a spokesman for Ashton saying, “There is no secret initiative on the Middle East peace process,” although he clarified that Ashton had been tasked “to take the lead in advancing the work on the Middle East peace process on the various strands.”

Although there has been no official response to the reports by the Israeli government, the Telegraph quotes an unnamed Israeli official saying, “We do know that the EU is planning to come up with something after the elections,” although “they are perfectly conscious of the fact that an agreement can only be negotiated between the two sides.”

Meanwhile, former-foreign minister and leader of Hatnuah, Tzipi Livni warned, “In March the world will present us with a peace plan – either it will be forced upon us or we come up with our own plan.”