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Egyptian FM Ahmed Abul Gheit with Israeli FM Tzipi Livni (photo: flash90)
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| By Israel Insider staff July 25, 2007 |
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The Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers made clear that their arrival today in Jerusalem to hold talks on the Arab Peace Initiative was not "historic," denying the Israeli Foreign Ministry's claim that they had come to represent the Arab League.
The Egyptian State Information service released a statement on Saturday saying that Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit will be "representing Egypt and only Egypt, not the Arab League" during his visit to Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry thought he was coming on behalf of the League, as Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa acknowledged in a BBC interview last week.
However Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev, remaining optimistic, said that the visit itself a visit, regardless of its reportedly reneged affiliation with the Arab League, "can be translated on the ground into tangible steps that will reinvigorate the Israeli-Palestinian peace process."
Regev pointed to how far relations have progressed since the beginning of Israel's history as a state. "The Arab League historically boycotted Israel, and was negative in its attitude of peace and reconciliation to Israel," Regev said of the 22-member organization. "That was clear when Egypt first made peace with Israel under [president Anwar] Sadat, and the Arab League expelled it from its ranks and moved its headquarters from Cairo to Baghdad."
The Arab Peace Initiative, based on the Saudi peace plan of February 2002, calls on Israel to fully withdraw from all territories taken in the Six Day War, including east Jerusalem, in exchange for normal ties with the Arab world. It also calls for the return to Israel of Palestinian refugees and their descendents.
The foreign ministers are scheduled to meet separately on Wednesday with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik.
Despite what Regev sees as forward movement in Arab-Israeli relations, the Arab Peace Initiative seems to be loosing momentum. The Saudis have largely withdrawn from the initiative following the breakdown of the Mecca agreement, which they negotiated between Hamas and Fatah, creating a unity government in the Palestinian Authority. The unity government's collapse caused anger, frustration and disappointment within Saudi Arabia, according to the Jerusalem Post.
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