BICOM

Israeli President Shimon Peres voiced hope yesterday that a lasting peace deal between Israel and Palestine might come “sooner than we think.”

Peres and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad shared a platform at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where they offered divergent views on the peace process.

Peres stressed that “in the negotiations the gap was seriously narrowed, and neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis have any choice but to make peace,” he added that “we need a bouquet of agreements, which won’t cover all the issues, to enable the Palestinians and Israel to keep open the negotiations. I believe if we negotiate, peace will come maybe sooner than we think.

Fayyad was less-positive, saying that the peace process “has never been this lacking in focus,” and the “conditions are actually not right, or ripe, for the resumption of the political process. Right now, one would have to work really hard to be hopeful.”

Both Peres and Fayyad, however, were upbeat discussing the Palestinian’s state building efforts. Peres praised the Palestinians for building a modern city in Ramallah and for creating a security force, able to provide security by itself.  Fayyad agreed with Peres comments and added that the Palestinians would continue building a state and negotiating for peace, but that both would require cooperation with Israel.