A group of 26 left-of-center Knesset members and local Palestinian political figures met here Sunday but were unable to agree on a joint statement outlining their position.
The meeting had some historic precedence nevertheless, since it took place at the Notre Dame Hotel, which straddles the line between East and West Jerusalem.
Arieh (Lova) Eliav, the veteran Labor Party member who headed the Knesset group, observed that “for years, we have been meeting in all kinds of symposia and conferences overseas. Now we finally meet in Jerusalem.”
The Palestinians included individuals who identify with Al Fatah, the main wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Communist Party.
It is against Israeli law to conduct meetings with known members of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
In addition to Eliav, who represented the dovish wing of the Labor Party, the group was composed of Yair Tsaban, representing Mapam, Shulamit Aloni for the Citizens Rights Movement and Amnon Rubinstein for the Center-Shinui Movement.
But as one of the Palestinian participants, Ziyyad Abu-Ziyyad, noted, neither the Israelis nor Palestinians who attended the meeting could speak for anyone but themselves.
The Israelis are all in the opposition and the Palestinians cannot commit the PLO.
They spent about 90 minutes discussing a joint statement drafted by Yossi Beilin, a Labor Knesset member, and Sari Nusseibeh, a prominent Palestinian from East Jerusalem.
STRETCH PLATFORM TO THE LIMIT
Although the draft did not mention the PLO or refer to an independent Palestinian state, it did, as Beilin admitted, stretch the Labor Party platform to the limit.
Radwan Abu-Ayyash, chairman of the Palestinian Journalists Association, was unhappy with the wording.
But it was the Israeli contingent that appeared most divided.
Rubinstein demanded that the Palestinians condemn Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait last Thursday.
The Palestinians refused, pointing out that 300,000 Palestinians live in Kuwait and that the PLO leadership has expressed support for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The draft included four major points:
* The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the heart of the Middle East problem;
* The Palestinians are entitled to self-determination;
* Negotiations must take place between the Israeli government and the legitimate, internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people, within the framework of an international conference.
* Neither side will decide who will represent the other party.
No one challenged Abu-Ziyyad when he said, “The negotiations must take place between the Israeli government and the PLO.”
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