English/Nat
Israel and the P-L-O have given contrasting reactions to the
Arab Summit held over the weekend in
Cairo.
P-L-O chairman
Yasser Arafat said the two-day summit was a very positive step for Arab reconciliation.
But Israel has accused
Arab leaders of making demands that were out of step with the
peace process.
Israel's new prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, at a conference of
World Jewish Donors in the southern city of
Kiryat Gat on Sunday night.
This was his reaction to the weekend's Arab Summit in Cairo.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"
Peace is the most heartfelt desire of every citizen in Israel. It is the strategic objective of Israel, as it should be the strategic objective of all the
Arab countries. But the peace process cannot be made hostage to any prior conditions. Peace talks have to be based on security for Israel and for all
the peoples in the region. But pre-conditions that hinder security for Israel are incompatible with peace negotiations, with the peace that we seek."
SUPER CAPTION: Benjamin Netanyahu,
Prime Minister of Israel
The communique issued at the end of the summit said Netanyahu risked derailing the peace process if he backtracked on the land-for-peace principle.
It also warned the
Middle East could revert to a "whirlpool of tension" if Netanyahu slowed down the peace process.
In
Gaza, P-L-O chairman Yasser Arafat arriving back from the summit.
He praised the summit, saying it had revived
Arab unity.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It was very successful constructive decisions which have been declared, and adopted in the Arab Summit conference. This Arab Summit conference was very fruitful, very important and it is very strong platform for to recover back the Arab unity."
SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, P-L-O Chairman
It heralded a new start, he added.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"What has happened in the Arab Summit conference was a new page between all of us."
SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, P-L-O Chairman
Haidar Abdel Shafi, a member of and former head of the
Palestinian delegation to previous Middle East talks, criticized the decisions made at the weekend summit.
SOUNDBITE: (
English)
"In principal this is a step, we have to wait and see what really happens, you know, concretely, and we have to wait and see how the
Israeli response is going to be before taking any further action."
SUPER CAPTION: Haidar Abdel Shafi, member of the Palestinian
Council
Meanwhile,
Peace Now, the Israeli left wing movement for peace, held a demonstration in
Tel Aviv, calling for Israel's immediate withdrawal from the
West Bank city of
Hebron.
It should have happened already, and some fear the new government may never pull the troops out.
That's sure to endanger the peace process further.
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- published: 21 Jul 2015
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