Israel called for the Arab League to ease its terms
for discussing regional peace talks. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Thursday that Jerusalem welcomed an Arab League decision to
appoint Egypt and Jordan as emissaries to promote the Saudi peace
initiative, but also said Israel wants the working group to include Arab countries other than the only two that have peace
deals with Jerusalem. “Israel, on its part, is open to dialogue,” Livni
told visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, according to an
official briefing of the meeting. “But the Arab League should show some
flexibility. Those Arab countries with which we don’t have relations could
be a party to such a process from the start instead of setting conditions.”
The Saudi proposal, which the Arab League endorsed, offers Israel a
comprehensive peace deal in exchange for its withdrawal from all territory
captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and a solution to the Palestinian
refugee problem. Israel has welcomed the initiative but wants it to serve as
a basis for future talks, whereas the Arab League has said the terms are
fixed.
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