JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel plans to hold direct peace talks with the Palestinians by late September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet.
Sunday’s announcement comes on the eve of a scheduled meeting in London between Netanyahu and U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell.
Netanyahu said that talks in preparation for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks have been held in a "positive atmosphere with certain progress, though without definitive agreements."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told reporters Sunday before the Cabinet meeting that he did not believe Israel and the Palestinians can reach a peace agreement in the foreseeable future,
"Despite giving everything, we were unable to strike peace 16 years after Oslo. I’m willing to bet there won’t be peace 16 years from now either, certainly not one based on the two-state solution," he said.
Lieberman said he would not resign should Netanyahu agree to freeze construction in the settlements.
