Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator and Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told Voice of Palestine radio yesterday that the Palestinians reject the notion of restarting the peace talks with Israel unconditionally.
Erekat was responding to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s earlier remarks that he invites Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for a meeting.
“In case the meeting is held, Netanyahu should first announce an end of settlement, release prisoners arrested before signing [the] Oslo peace accords in 1993 and recognize all the signed peace treaties between the two sides,” said Erekat. “If Netanyahu doesn’t do this, there will be no resumption of negotiations.”
Meanwhile, as previously reported by Matzav, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu once again invited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Yerushalayim for talks, four days after Abbas told Israel’s Channel 2 that he was waiting for such an invitation.
“A few days ago on Israeli television, I heard President Abbas say that if I invited him to meet, he’d come,” Netanyahu said. “So…I’m inviting him again. I’m clearing my schedule this week. Any day he can come, I’ll be here.”
David Steger – Matzav.com Israel
