PM to demand peace deal end conflict

Jerusalem sources say Netanyahu will tell Abbas during next round of talks at Sharm El-Sheikh that if settlement on borders of two states is reached, conflict over land must end and Palestinians must recognize Jewish state

Attila Somfalvi

Published:  09.12.10, 00:08 / Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to demand during his next meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that as soon as an agreement is reached on the borders of two states the Palestinians will cease demands for territory and recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Jerusalem officials say Netanyahu will ask Abbas to agree to a settlement on "the end of Palestinian claims" and "what is in Israel belongs to the Jews and what is in Palestine – to the Palestinians".

"We totally understand that Abbas cannot say this before the cameras at this stage," one source said Saturday. "But he needs to recognize the principle that if we reach a settlement on borders then Israel will demand that it end the conflict, and the Palestinians recognize the Jewish state.

"The solutions to the various problems need to be derivatives of the fact that after a deal is struck – the story ends. The prime minister will not agree to a principle that allows the Palestinians to establish a state and then continue the argument over which territory belongs to whom."

State officials say that Netanyahu and his negotiating team will alight on two issues during the next round of direct talks in Sharm El-Sheikh: Security arrangements and the demand to announce the end of claims in the framework of a permanent settlement.

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and hold a one-on-one meeting with Abbas. Afterwards US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to attend the summit.

'Obama's tone not oppressive'

Jerusalem officials also attempted to downplay over the weekend US President Barack Obama's recommendation to Netanyahu to extend the freeze on construction in West Bank settlements.

"The president's tone towards Israel is not one of oppression. We are looking at the glass as half-full, meaning that Obama is demanding Abbas take trust-building steps towards the Israeli public," said one source.

However other officials took Obama's recommendation to mean that if the Palestinians decide to break up the talks over the renewal of construction, he would not accuse them of wrongdoing. In any case, they say, Obama has allowed room for maneuvering, hinting that Netanyahu should not allow construction in sensitive areas.

Terror attacks are expected to proliferate in the days leading up to the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, after two such attacks took place while the prime minister was in Washington overseeing negotiations. However sources say this will not prevent the talks from taking place as scheduled.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has not yet announced whether he will attend the UN General Assembly this month, though invitations for private meetings with world leaders abound. His aides say the talks have created a tight schedule, and it remain unclear whether he will be able to fit the General Assembly in.