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Abbas: not interested in meeting Olmert (file photo)
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| By israelinsider staff June 6, 2007 |
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The Palestinian Authority has informed Israel that Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is not interested in meeting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday as planned, an official in the Prime Minister's Office said Wednesday. "The meeting tomorrow (Thursday) between Prime Minister Olmert and Chairman Abbas has been postponed as per the Palestinians' request," Olmert's office said in a statement.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the two sides disagreed over the Palestinians' request that Israel release all withheld Palestinian taxes. Palestinian officials also said that Israel was also unwilling to accept a Palestinian demand that any cease-fire in the Gaza Strip be contingent on its extension to the West Bank.
An official in Olmert's bureau said no new date had been set for the summit.
Olmert and Abbas last met on April 15. The U.S. had wanted the two parties to meet every two weeks. That hasn't happened.
A Palestinian official said Israel has to understand "Abbas is also under intense pressure.... It is unrealistic that Abu Mazen [Abbas] push for the Palestinian factions to cease Qassam rocket fire, and for Israel to give nothing in return."
Government officials, however, said that it was outrageous that the Palestinians demand a halt to IDF preventative security activities in Judea and Samaria as something that would almost inevitably lead to terror attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Israel had expressed willingness to return up to half of the tax revenues it has withheld from the Palestinians, Israeli sources said Tuesday. That could mean as much as $300 million to $400 million, disbursed in phases, viaa mechanism that would reduce the chances that funds would get to the Hamas-led government or militants, the sources said.
Israel started withholding tax revenues, which it collects on behalf of the PA, after Hamas defeated Abbas's secular Fatah faction in January 2006 parliamentary elections.
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