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Palestinians, Israelis Signal Possible Settlement Deal

08 October 2010 04:51 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A top Palestinian advisor says his side has accepted a U.S. proposal calling for a 60-day extension to Israelâ€™s West Bank settlement slowdown provided that final borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state be negotiated during that time, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.
Nabil Shaath said Thursday if no agreement is reached within the two-month period, the settlement freeze would have to be extended further.
Shaathâ€™s comments came as Israelâ€™s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, confirmed for the first time the U.S. has offered what he called a package of â€œincentivesâ€ for the Israeli government to pass â€œa limited extensionâ€ of the settlement curbs.
Oren said he expects the U.S. to receive an answer within 48 hours.
The White House has denied U.S. President Barack Obama sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offering military aid, diplomatic support and other assurances in exchange for a one-time extension of Israelâ€™s partial settlement freeze.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets Arab League foreign ministers in Libya Friday, where he is expected to decide whether to quit peace negotiations with Israel.
The Palestinians have threatened to walk away from the talks if Israel resumes Jewish settlement construction on lands captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war that Palestinians claim for a future state.
Earlier Thursday, another senior Palestinian advisor, Yasser Abed Rabbo, said he sees no hope of a serious peace process with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as long as Israeli settlement construction continues.
Meanwhile, Israelâ€™s Cabinet is set to vote Sunday on whether to require new citizens to declare their loyalty to Israel as a â€œJewish and democratic state.â€
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support late Wednesday for the new citizenship requirement. He said the â€œprinciple guides government policy, both foreign and domesticâ€ and that it is a â€œfoundation of Israeli law.â€ Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is the main force behind the proposal.
Some Israeli analysts said Netanyahuâ€™s support for the requirement was a ploy to convince Lieberman to support extending the partial, 10-month settlement moratorium that expired September 26.