Israel to counter Arabs’ peace plan

Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Israel would offer a counterproposal to the Arab peace initiative.”The Arab League has proposed, fine. We will make a counterproposal,” Peres said Sunday during heated discussions at the World Economic Forum in Jordan, The Associated Press reported.Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who also participated in the discussions, said the Israeli offer would not be considered seriously unless it was reasonable. Peres urged Arab leaders to meet with Israel to hash out the issue.Israel has welcomed the Arab proposal, first floated in 2002, as a good starting point for negotiations but objects to several key provisions, particularly the return of millions of Palestinian refugees. Many consider the refugees’ return tantamount to the destruction of the Jewish state.