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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Flash90)
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| By Israel Insider staff October 9, 2007 |
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For the first time, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met on Monday to hash out the details of a declaration of interests regarding divisive issues like borders, Jerusalem, refugees and security ahead of the November summit.
The parties involved are trying to prevent any leaks and avoid "the constant eye of the media," the Jerusalem Post quoted one official as saying.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is reportedly proposing to cede nearly all of Judea and Samaria and some Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority, and is considering allowing the Muslim holy sites of Jerusalem to be administered by Jordan. In an attempt to gain support for his plans, Olmert has called on the nation to "give up" its aspirations to retain these areas.
"The peace process requires determination to make brave, unavoidable decisions, which involve relinquishing the full realization of the dreams that fed our national ethos for many years," Olmert said.
"Nothing is easier than to cling on to these dreams, and the price of awakening from them can be heavy for all of us. The Palestinians will also have to confront the need to relinquish the fulfillment of some of their dreams in order to create with us a reality that might not be ideal, and might not be perfect, but one that will give us all stability, security, happiness and peace," the prime minister continued.
Meanwhile, key players in Olmert's coalition oppose granting such concessions to the PA.
"The Olmert government is trying to destroy the dreams of thousands of generations who have dreamed and worked to return the Jewish people to its land," MK Uri Ariel of the National Religious Party said. "We won't let him succeed."
The EU's Special Representative to the Middle East Process, Marc Otte, has called on Israel to cancel its participation in the summit citing concerns for regional stability in the event of the summit's failure, highlighting the growing pessimism surrounding the summit.
"The cost of failure is even bigger then in 2000," Otte told reporters in Brussels, referring to the second intifada that erupted following the collapse of the Camp David Accords in 2000.
Otte's remarks echo recent warnings by PA officials that if their demands are not met in the summit, there will be an outbreak of violence bloodier than in the second intifada.
Shas chairman Eli Yishai echoed Otte's calls to cancel the summit, citing similar concerns.
"The summit is liable to bring about more terrorism, which happened when Barak went to Camp David. Olmert needs to cancel [the summit]. Drafting a document would be artificial and pointless," Yishai said.
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