BICOM

Israel’s prime minister told his party yesterday that the Arab Peace Initiative can be the basis for peace talks, if Israeli revisions are adopted.

Haaretz reported that during a closed meeting with Likud ministers, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: “If the Arab nations grasp the fact that they need to revise the Arab League proposal according to the changes Israel demands, then we can talk.”

However, Netanyahu is said to have clarified to ministers that “if they bring the proposal from 2002 and define it as ‘take it or leave it’ – we’ll choose to leave it”.

The Arab Peace Initiative refers to a Saudi-spearheaded plan, which would see a pan-Arab rapprochement with Israel in return for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israeli leaders have typically been circumspect over its details. Netanyahu is reported to have said that the territorial demands as they stand, which include a withdrawal from the Golan Heights, are problematic. He also specified that the return of Palestinian refugees, as outlined in the initiative, is a negative element.

However, Netanyahu is reported to have welcomed the possibility of Arab normalisation with Israel and the potential for regional peace. During the past month, Netanyahu has publicly expressed enthusiasm for the Arab Peace Initiative as a potential basis for a regional reconciliation with the Arab world. At a recent joint press conference with the newly-appointed Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Netanyahu said: “I remain committed to making peace with the Palestinians and with all our neighbours. The Arab Peace Initiative includes positive elements that can help revive constructive negotiations with the Palestinians. We are willing to negotiate with the Arab States revisions to that initiative.”

Lieberman echoed Netanyahu’s sentiments, saying at the time: “I absolutely agree that the Arab [Peace] Initiative also has some very, very positive elements that enable a serious dialogue with all our neighbours in the region.”