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MK Ahmad Tibi of UAL (Flash90)
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| By Israel Insider staff October 28, 2007 |
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| The Israeli-Arab village of Umm al-Fahm that Lieberman has mentioned as one of the towns to be ceded to the PA in a land swap |
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Israeli Arab MKs were outraged at Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman's demands for a population exchange with the PA in advance of the summit in Annapolis. According to Lieberman's plan, Israel would cede Arab areas in Israel, like Umm al-Fahm and outlying Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem, in exchange for settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria.
Many Israeli Arab MKs, like MK Ahmad Tibi of UAL, however, are calling for a full Israel withdrawal to the 1967 borders, which would preclude the existence of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
"There can be no peace agreement without the dismantlement of settlements and the removal of settlers, including immigrants who have come from abroad and have taken control in the West Bank of land that doesn't belong to them," the Jerusalem Post quoted Tibi as saying on Sunday.
"The borders must be the 1967 lines, including east Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine," Tibi added.
MK Jamal Zahalka of Balad echoed Tibi's objections, saying that Israeli Arabs are opposed to the "Jerusalem for Umm el-Fahm," deal.
Lieberman said his party opposed ceding sovereignty of any of the holy sites in Jerusalem, rejecting demands by the PA to transfer authority over Muslim sites to either the PA or other Muslim countries.
"Lieberman should calm down. There won't be a deal if there is no essential change in Israel's stance toward the Arab peace initiative," said Zahalka.
Meanwhile, Culture, Science and Sport Minister Ghaleb Majadle is calling on the government to cede the Golan Heights to Syria.
"Peace is most important thing," he said. "For true peace I'm certain that the people of Israel will agree to return the Golan," according to the Jerusalem Post.
In an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Mishkat Al-Ray, he said Israel was prepared to return the Golan Heights for peace with Syria. But on Friday he stressed that his remarks were not meant to reflect the government's official position.
Lieberman's demands, outlined in a document to be presented to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday, also caused a stir among the Israeli left. Hadash Chairman Muhammad Barakei said that Lieberman's declarations would "torpedo peace talks even before they have begun."
However the Ultra Orthodox party Shas, led by Eli Yishai, has also threatened to drop out of Olmert's coalition over similar issues, in what could cause the collapse of Olmert's government. The current peace talks have seen much opposition in Israel across the political spectrum, with critics citing poor timing, weak PA leadership, and unreasonable concessions.
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