BICOM

Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads Israel’s delegation in the current peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA), has said in an interview with the Jerusalem Post that her goal is a final-status peace accord and not an interim agreement.

Several rounds of talks have taken place over the past few weeks, but few details have been released. As a result, little is known about the framework, modalities or content of the talks. However, in the interview Livni clarified the purpose of the negotiations, saying “My goal is an agreement that will end the conflict and all claims for both sides,” adding “I have never used the term ‘interim agreement.’” She explained that there could be no ‘give and take’ in negotiations if the end goal to resolve all issues was unclear.

Some Palestinian sources had claimed Israel was pushing for an interim agreement, an option Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas forcefully rejected in a speech to the UN General Assembly last week.

Elaborating on the status of the current talks, Livni expressed cautious optimism, saying “If there wasn’t hope of achieving peace, I wouldn’t be doing this.” However, she added that “I don’t want to raise false expectations… But I see we are generating hope and people are crossing their fingers for us.”

However, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely, considered a strong voice on the right of the party, yesterday questioned the wisdom of attempting to achieve a final-status agreement. Speaking at a conference of pro-settlement activists in Jerusalem, Hotovely said “I am scared because going for the whole pot is the most dangerous approach,” adding that “US pressure could make Israel give up everything without the Palestinians declaring an end to the conflict.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s Environment Minister Amir Peretz yesterday froze plans to build a national park in East Jerusalem which opponents say would block development of two adjacent Palestinian neighbourhoods. Peretz said that the area has no “particularly sensitive natural value.”