Israel Is Willing To Discuss The Core Issues Of The Middle East Conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed on Tuesday his willingness to discuss with the Palestinians the core issues referring to the peace process in the Middle East in an effort to revive the direct talks that had been stalled for months.
Netanyahu said at a domestic conference that the discussions he had with the U.S. envoy George Mitchell focused on ways to advance the peace process and that the meeting was very good.
He qualified Mitchell’s return to the Middle East as a way of establishing “a new path” for the peace process after the negotiations were interrupted by the resumption of the settlement buildings in the West Bank, following the expiration of the 10-month moratorium on September 26.
The Israeli PM has praised the decision of the American envoy to drop the request to extend the moratorium on the settlements in the West Bank.
Netanyahu expressed his wish to address the core issues that truly delay the talks. He mentioned among them security, the problem of the refugees, the recognition of the state of Israel by the Palestinians, and others.
The envoy also wants the two sides to talk about the borders of the future state of Palestine and the status of East Jerusalem.
Saeb Erakat told Mitchell that the Palestinian Authority insists on the demand that the settlement moratorium be extended.
In fact, Palestinian Authority began the process of unilateral recognition of an independent state. So far, Brazil, Argentina and other countries in the Latin America have recognized the new state, whereas European Union has decided to wait before taking this step, for fear that rushing in would prejudice the peace process in the region.
