The first formal peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in seven years got off to a rocky start yesterday, with the Palestinians lambasting Israel for a new construction project planned in disputed east Jerusalem and Israel accusing the Palestinians of creating a "tense atmosphere."
The Palestinians have said the planned construction in the Har Homa neighborhood, along with Israeli military activity in the Gaza Strip, have threatened to undermine the new peace talks.
The Palestinian delegation "introduced the issue of Har Homa and expressed our outrage," said negotiator Saeb Erekat.
"We are coming to negotiate over Jerusalem and borders, and the dictation and facts on the ground continue," he added. "If you want to restore the credibility of the peace process, the Israeli government must revoke this order." He said there were no immediate plans to meet again.
Yesterday's meeting was the first formal negotiating session since Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas relaunched peace making at last month's Mideast conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The last peace talks broke down in violence in January 2001.
At the gathering, the two leaders set an ambitious target of December 2008 for concluding a peace agreement that would end six decades of conflict.
The troubles at yesterday's meeting, which lasted just 90 minutes at a Jerusalem hotel, showed just how far the sides have to go.
Initially scheduled to kick off with a ceremonial launch at the ornate King David hotel in Jerusalem, where Israel considers all of the city its capital, though Olmert has signaled he would be willing to relinquish outlying Arab neighborhoods.
Other core issues negotiators must tackle include the final borders of a Palestinian state, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees whose families lost properties during Israel's 1948 War of Independence.
The Hamas militant group's violent seizure of the Gaza Strip last June has further complicated matters. Abbas' lack of control over Gaza has raised questions about his ability to carry out any future peace deal.
Discussing yesterday's talks, an Israeli official confirmed the Palestinians complained about Har Homa, Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and Israeli military activity in Gaza.
The official said Israel complained about ongoing Palestinian rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. At the same time, Israel continues to battle the Hamas militant group, which has ruled Gaza since defeating Abbas' forces last June.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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