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| By Israel Insider staff November 21, 2007 |
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The United States announced on Tuesday that the Middle East summit will be held on November 27 in Annapolis, Maryland. Palestinian and Egyptian sources said Tuesday that Syria and Saudi Arabia would attend the meeting, intended to launch negotiations for the creation of a Palestinian state.
The United States has invited 49 countries, groups of nations, NGOs, financial institutions and individuals to Annapolis. Israel and the Palestinians received invitations Tuesday, and American embassies elsewhere notified the others, asking them to send their foreign ministers or other senior officials to the event.
Syria and Saudi Arabia are expected to announce their representation at the conference within a few days, following the Arab foreign ministers' meeting at Arab League headquarters in Cairo.
A marathon session Tuesday at the U.S. Naval Academy is expected to be opened by President George W. Bush, who plans to meet Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas the day before, and then address a dinner of all participants on the eve of the conference.
Bush plans to see Olmert and Abbas privately again in Washington on Wednesday.
Syria has stated that it would not attend the summit unless an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights is placed on the agenda, but it is not clear how that demand will be met, possibly by referring to the issue in the opening and closing statement.
In Israel, right-wing Knesset members attacked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after his announcement that he had agreed to allow Palestinian security forces in Nablus to receive 25 armored vehicles, reversing longstanding policy and setting aside continuing opposition by the IDF to such a move.
Likud officials said the plan was "the continuation of the moral deterioration of Olmert, [Defense Minister Ehud] Barak and [Foreign Minister Tzipi] Livni, which will only lead to a further deterioration in security."
Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu added on Army Radio that "these armored vehicles and weapons will eventually fall into the hands of Hamas."
MK Arye Eldad (NU-NRP) said "Olmert's cynicism has passed beyond any reasonable borders. [He] will be personally responsible for every Jew who is hurt and will need to stand trial for crimes against the Jewish people." |
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