Hamas criticises Arab backing for Israel talks

Doha, Friday

Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal slammed Arab leaders for endorsing the resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, in comments published by Al-Jazeera today.

Meshaal described the Arab Peace Initiative committee’s decision to support negotiations with Israel as an “attempt to mitigate the negativity of Arab political positions.”

“It seems that the embarrassment Arab leaders are feeling at this time is greater” than before, the Doha-based satellite channel’s website quoted the exiled Hamas leader as saying.

“They do not want to show that they’re shying away from their decisions, so they came up with a vague result, saying neither ‘yes’ nor ‘no’ to an immediate resumption of direct negotiations” with Israel, he added.

Arab officials agreed in principle on Thursday to holding direct Middle East peace negotiations, but left it up to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to decide when the talks with Israel should start.

Abbas has conditioned the talks on an Israeli guarantee that the Palestinian state be based on the pre-1967 borders between the Jewish state and east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Stepped up pressure

Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War before annexing the latter in a move not recognised by the international community.

Abbas also wants an end to settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Washington has stepped up pressure on Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward, and Thursday’s Arab announcement prompted Netanyahu to express openness to starting talks “in the next few days.”

Israel acceded to US pressure to limit settlement building in the West Bank until September, when a moratorium ends. (AFP)