Israel says it has accepted an international plan for resuming peace talks with the Palestinians while expressing some reservations, an announcement that drew Palestinian criticism.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “welcomes the Quartet's call for direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions.” Mr. Netanyahu also said Israel has “some concerns” about the plan that it will raise at the “appropriate time.” He did not elaborate.
The Quartet of Mideast peace mediators comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations issued a declaration last month calling for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to resume “without delay or preconditions.” They said the two sides should reach a peace deal by the end of 2012.
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat accused Mr. Netanyahu of “deceiving” the international community by declaring an acceptance of the plan. Erekat said the Quartet statement also requires Israel to accept several positions before negotiations can begin.
Erekat reiterated longstanding demands for Israel to stop settlement construction on occupied land that Palestinians want for a state and to accept 1967 boundaries as the basis for that state. Israel has rejected those demands as preconditions for peace talks.
The Quartet did not explicitly endorse the Palestinian demands. But, it reaffirmed support for the 2003 Roadmap peace plan and U.S. President Barack Obama's May 2011 speech proposing parameters for renewed peace talks.
The Roadmap calls on Israel to freeze settlement activity and on Palestinians to stop violence against Israelis. Mr. Obama's speech called for both sides to negotiate the borders of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines with agreed land swaps.
The Quartet statement also called on Israel and the Palestinians to “refrain from provocative actions” that could hurt negotiations.
Palestinians accused Israel of doing that last week by approving a plan to build 1,100 housing units in the predominantly Jewish district of Gilo in annexed East Jerusalem. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as a future capital and view any Israeli construction there as illegal settlement activity.
The United States expressed deep disappointment with the Israeli move while the European Union condemned it. Israel rejected the international criticism, saying Gilo is an integral part of its undivided capital and will remain so in any future peace deal.
Israeli officials have expressed concern about some parts of the latest Quartet declaration, including its call for “substantial progress” on issues of “territory” and “security” within six months. The officials say such matters should be discussed alongside other core disputes of the conflict, including the status of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.
