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By Charly Wegman JERUSALEM (AFP) - Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are set to resume in the region soon, a Palestinian official is reported to have said on Sunday, but the mood is one of pessimism after the latest U.S. effort failed to bear fruit.
The Middle East Peace talks are likely to be led by Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan and senior negotiator Saeb Erakat on the Palestinian side and lawyer Gilad Sher for Israel. The focal point of discussion is still the holy sites in the old city of east Jerusalem known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary, the third holiest site in Islam which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock. East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in 1967 and annexed as part of its "united eternal" capital, a move not recognized by the international community. Top Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qorei suggested Friday the Palestinians could accept Islamic sovereignty over the site but Israel has already dismissed the idea. The Palestinians on Saturday urged Israel to seize the "last chance for peace" and apply international resolutions and accords signed since 1993, warning that a breakdown in last-ditch negotiations would have serious consequences. Israel's chief negotiator, acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami, is not due to return from New York until Monday, and an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson said, "There are no contacts scheduled for today between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators." Ben Ami said that Israel and the Palestinians had just a 50% chance of clinching peace after the two days of separate talks with U.S. officials in New York concluded Friday without making any headway. "A peace process is underway with the Palestinians and there is no question of failure, but time is of the essence. I believe our chances of success are still 50%," he said to Israeli radio. The two sides have already missed a September 13th deadline for a comprehensive accord on the main issues at the heart of their conflict: Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements, final borders, water and security. Ben Ami reiterated Israel's insistence on sovereignty over the Temple Mount or al-Haram al-Sharif. "We came to the site of the Temple so we would no longer be separated from it, nor renounce our sovereignty over the site," he said. Temple Mount was built over the site of the Jewish Second Temple, destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. The compound's western supporting wall, often referred to as the Wailing Wall, is the holiest site in Judaism. And with little movement in negotiations, violence flared on the ground Sunday. Four Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets fired by Israeli troops on stone-throwing demonstrators in Gaza, marking the 18th anniversary of the massacre of 1,500 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. |
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