'Still a Gap' on Israel Settlement Activity PDF Print E-mail
Written by Al Manar   
Tuesday, 28 July 2009 13:27

Israel, July 28 (Al Manar) US envoy George Mitchell was meeting the Israeli premier on Tuesday. Talks were due to focus on the thorny issues of settlements -- with Washington demanding Israel halt all such activity on occupied Palestinian land and hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so far refusing to do so.
The meeting is part of Mitchell's whistlestop tour in which he has held talks with leaders of Syria, Egypt and the Palestinians in four days. Throughout the tourney the former US senator has said repeatedly that Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states must all take steps that may be difficult and controversial towards a comprehensive “peace deal”.
"That includes between Israelis and Palestinians, between Syrians and Israelis, between Israel and Lebanon and the normalization of relations between Israel and all of the countries in the region," he said late Monday following talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the occupied West Bank. "That means that everyone must take steps, some of them difficult some of them controversial," said Mitchell.
Mitchell told Abbas he was still working on a deal with Israel to halt settlement activity in occupied West Bank so “peace talks” can resume. "We are discussing the issue but we didn't conclude an agreement yet with the Israelis," a senior Palestinian official quoted Mitchell as saying over a working dinner with Abbas in Ramallah.
Obama's demand for a freeze of Israeli settlements is in accordance with a 2003 US-backed "road map". It has met stiff resistance from Netanyahu, causing the most serious rift in US-Israeli ties in a decade.
In talks with Israel leaders on Sunday and Monday, Mitchell emphasized American friendship and the US commitment to Israel's security. He informed Abbas there was "still a gap between us and the Israelis on the settlements issue", the Palestinian official told Reuters.

"Everyine should honor his commitments”

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat issued a statement after Monday's talks saying "the only way to return credibility to the peace process" is for everyone to honor his commitments. Erekat said the "Quartet" of “Middle East peace mediators” -- made up of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- must "play a constructive role in holding the parties accountable for honoring their commitments". "The success of the peace process will depend on the effective ability of the Quartet to oversee and report on ... both sides in carrying out their obligations," he said. "Israel shows no intention of stopping its illegal settlement activity, particularly in and around occupied east Jerusalem," Erekat said.
Mitchell earlier praised Israel for easing Palestinian movement in the occupied West Bank by removing some of its checkpoints. But Erekat said moving a "handful" of roadblocks changed little. "There are still currently more than 600 obstacles to movement and access in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These obstacles serve no security purpose. In fact, 80 percent of them serve only to divide Palestinians from Palestinians."

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