BICOM

Quartet envoy Tony Blair is scheduled to meet tomorrow in Ramallah with PA President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss a proposal to restart peace talks. The Quartet – the UN, US, EU and Russia – is intensifying its efforts to resume negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. In recent months, the Quartet has been working on a draft statement that would provide a framework for the Palestinians and Israelis to return to talks, but so far has been unsuccessful. The Israelis are reported to have responded positively to a recent draft. However the PA’s requirement for a settlement moratorium in the West Bank and Israel’s refusal to implement one remains an impasse. At present, the Palestinians are unwilling to stop their approach to the UN later this months and it is unclear whether Blair’s bridging proposals will be enough to dissuade them from doing so.

This effort by the Quartet is also supported by the US, as a report in the New York Times newspaper has revealed that the Obama administration is currently engaged in efforts to renew peace talks between Israel and the PA. Washington hopes that the renewal of talks may induce the Palestinians to decide against seeking United Nations endorsement of a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood later this month. According to the New York Times, a new peace proposal, to be issued by the Quartet prior to 20 September, would form the centerpiece of the effort to induce the Palestinians to abandon plans to go to the UN. The report also suggested that there are disagreements between Quartet members regarding the details of the proposal to be put forward. Senior Palestinian officials Nabil Sha’ath and Saeb Erekat both dismissed the New York Times report, and said that the PA had received no offer form the US regarding the renewal of talks with Israel.