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Former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo and former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin have led the negotiations towards a "Swiss Agreement."
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| By Ellis Shuman October 12, 2003 |
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Palestinian representatives and left-wing Israeli politicians reached agreement today on a draft peace proposal following three days of talks in a Jordanian resort along the Dead Sea shore. The so-called "Swiss Agreement" is actually a series of understandings on all outstanding issues between the sides, and will be presented to the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships and public.
The ynet website reported that a formal signing ceremony while be held in a few weeks' time in Geneva.
According to media reports, some 40 prominent Palestinian and Israeli politicians achieved a memorandum of understanding envisaging solutions to the Middle East conflict and providing an alternative to the ongoing violence. Representing the Israelis were Labor MKs Amram Mitzna, Yuli Tamir and Avraham Burg, and former justice minister Yossi Beilin. The Palestinians were represented by former information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo and former prisons minister Hisham Abed al-Razek.
Negotiations to prepare the agreement, led by Beilin and Rabbo, took place over the past year in a number of countries, including Switzerland, and were held with the knowledge and approval of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. Last week, in apparent reference to the talks, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lashed out at left-wingers who were working with the Palestinian Authority behind the government's back.
"The document provides solutions to final settlement issues such as the status of Arab East Jerusalem, frontiers, the establishment of a Palestinian state and the right of returning home of Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave Palestine when Israel was founded in 1948," said Palestinian ambassador in Jordan Atallah Khairi.
According to a Maariv report, the Palestinians waived their demand for a "right of return" of Palestinian refugees to Israel, and agreed to recognize Israel as a Jewish State. In exchange, Israel agreed to an international authority that would supervise Jerusalem's holy sites. According to Maariv, Israel would evacuate most of the West Bank settlements, including the city of Ariel, but would retain control over certain settlement blocs including Maale Adumim and Gush Etzion.
Initiators of the talks stressed the fact that they had achieved "understandings" and not an "agreement." The sides planned to present the understandings to their respective leaderships for approval, Yediot Aharonot reported. Arafat and newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) have already given their approval to the understandings, the paper said.
Former prime minister Ehud Barak said the agreements reached were "irresponsible and damaging to the State of Israel," ynet reported on Friday. He said that if the Labor Party wants to be taken seriously, it cannot be a party to such initiatives that "confuse both the public and our friends alike."
"Any talks between Israel and the Palestinians, especially between senior officials, is welcome. But it is undesired to agree on issues that are overly detailed, that will become the starting point for the Palestinians in future negotiations," MK Ephraim Sneh said.
Health Minister Danny Naveh (Likud) said the agreement "reeked of a bad odor." He said, "It is not the opposition's job to hold talks, it is the government's job, and there are reasons for the government to avoid negotiations today with these people, Arafat's people, who have been behind the campaign of murder of terror over the past three years," Naveh said.
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