BICOM

It emerged yesterday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were holding separate talks with US officials in Washington on how to restart peace negotiations. Aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yitzhak Molcho was sent to Washington to be in the meetings, while Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and PA Presidents Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeinah represented the Palestinians. “The point of the meeting was to work on getting both sides back to the table,” a State Department official said.

According to Haaretz, a source at the Prime Minister’s Office said the Americans had invited both sides to Washington in response to a French initiative to restart peace talks on the basis of US President Barack Obama’s 19 May speech. The French plan calls for holding talks in Paris on borders and security, with the former to be based on the 1967 lines, and postponing the issues of Jerusalem and refugees until later.

US Middle East envoy David Hale held the meeting with the Palestinian representatives and, according to reports, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a brief unscheduled visit to the talks. Clinton said yesterday in a press conference with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe,”We continue to have serious concerns about the role, if any, that Hamas might play in a Palestinian government. It is not enough for us that it would be called technocratic if Hamas is involved. We think that undermines the whole purpose of negotiations, because you would have a party that rejects Israel’s right to exist.” Meanwhile, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the Palestinians must achieve political reconciliation in order to meet their goal of statehood. He added that the government will prepare for new elections and the reconstruction of Gaza led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. After the meeting Erekat told Haaretz that the Palestinian delegation did not exchange any messages with Israeli officials, and that he was unaware that Israeli negotiators were also in Washington for meetings.

Clinton also said it was too early to consider a peace conference in Paris, as both parties are yet to agree on the terms for the resumption of direct talks.