Israel, Palestine resume talks
JERUSALEM (AP) - April 7, 2008 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas spent much of the three-hour meeting discussing
Israeli settlements on disputed territory and gaps on the
contentious issue were wide, a Palestinian negotiator said.
The two leaders pledged to resume more frequent talks, about
every two weeks, and renewed a commitment to wrap up a peace deal
by the end of the year.
However, the differences over the settlements, military
checkpoints in the West Bank, violence by Palestinian militants and
Hamas control over the Gaza Strip make that date look increasingly
unrealistic.
Under a U.S.-backed peace plan, Israel is required to freeze
settlement expansion, but Olmert has said construction will
continue in settlements Israel wants to keep in a final peace deal.
"The settlement activities occupied a large part of the
negotiations," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who
attended Monday's meeting. "The president (Abbas) showed
documents, maps, and emphasized the necessity to stop the
settlement expansion."
With U.S. backing, the two leaders have pledged to reach a final
peace deal by the end of the year. But it remains unclear how much
progress they have made. Negotiating teams have met dozens of
times, and officials privately say that all key issues are under
discussion.
But there have been few visible signs of change on the ground.
Israel continues to build in Jewish settlements, it has done little
to improve Palestinian living conditions in the West Bank and the
Hamas militant group, which regularly attacks Israeli targets,
remains firmly in control of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Monday's
discussions included meetings between negotiating teams as well as
the one-on-one session between Olmert and Abbas.
The two leaders formally relaunched peace talks last November at
a summit hosted by President Bush in Annapolis, Md.
"Both leaders reiterated their commitment to the Annapolis
process and to reaching a historic agreement by the end of the
year," Regev said. "Both sides today raised concerns, but they
agreed that the negotiations will go on."
He said the Palestinians discussed Israeli settlement
construction and humanitarian issues in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel raised its security concerns and called on the Palestinians
to rein in militants.
Erekat said Olmert also gave tentative approval to Abbas'
request to grant West Bank residency to 10,000 Palestinians who now
have expired visas.
In all, a total of 54,000 Palestinians would receive residency
rights, and 12,000 requests were approved in the past, he said.
Israel largely closed the option of immigration to the West Bank
after the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in 2000, and tens of
thousands of Palestinians live in the West Bank in legal limbo.
The talks between Olmert and Abbas are supposed to be based on
the "road map," a U.S.-backed peace plan that sets a series of
stages meant to lead to the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state.
As initial obligations, the road map calls on Israel to halt all
settlement activity and for the Palestinians to dismantle militant
groups. Neither side has met its obligations.
Since the Annapolis conference, Israel has announced plans to
build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem -
areas claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. Abbas has
repeatedly condemned the construction.
At the same time, Hamas militants have fired dozens of rockets
into southern Israel from Gaza. Israel has warned that it will not
carry out any peace agreement until Abbas regains control of Gaza.
Hamas violently seized control of the coastal strip last June after
routing Abbas' forces there.
Israel launched a broad offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza in
late February in response to especially heavy rocket fire. The
offensive, which killed more than 120 Palestinians, including
dozens of civilians, prompted Abbas to suspend his regular biweekly
meetings with Olmert. Monday's meeting was the first between the
men since Feb. 19.
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Associated Press writer Laurie Copans contributed to this
article.