Israeli, Palestinian Negotiators Begin

Drawing Parts of Peace Accord

JERUSALEM — Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed to start drafting elements of a proposed peace accord, the chief Palestinian negotiator said Friday.

Ahmed Qureia, the veteran negotiator heading the Palestinian team, made it clear the decision did not necessarily reflect agreement on major issues. But this would be the first time since negotiations resumed more than six months ago that anything would be committed to paper.

"We agreed with the Israelis to begin writing the positions," Qureia told reporters late Friday.

Israeli government officials would not comment and Qureia did not explain why the two sides had agreed at this point to begin drafting a text.

However, the timing coincides with a corruption scandal in Israel that threatens to unseat Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Should Israel find itself going to early elections, polls show Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes major territorial concessions to the Palestinians, becoming Israel's next premier. However, drafting during previous rounds of peace talks has not always meant that those positions were then preserved for future negotiators.

Qureia did not say what issue the two sides would start with. If they reach agreement on any issue, then they will draft a single provision, he said. If not, they will lay out on paper their divergent views, he added.

Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace talks in late November under U.S. prodding. Continued Israeli settlement construction and Israeli security concerns have clouded negotiations, and both sides have expressed doubt about achieving the declared goal of clinching a final accord by the end of the year.

Qureia confirmed that Israeli peace negotiators have offered the Palestinians land in exchange for territory where major West Bank settlements lie, but he termed their offer "unacceptable."

Palestinians would like to incorporate all of the West Bank into a future state, but their moderate president, Mahmoud Abbas, has acknowledged that Israel, with U.S. backing, likely will hold on to blocs where tens of thousands of settlers live. In exchange, Abbas is prepared to relinquish some West Bank land for an equal amount of Israeli land.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364225,00.html

I was watching an old movie on TV a couple days ago with Paul Newman in the starring role ..... and which "the story" was based on the refugee Jews of WWII and their entry into Palestine and the UN voting to declare part of it as the Nation/State of Israel.

Now what I thought was REALLY ODD about the whole situation and the immediate change in feelings and actions of the resident population of Palestine ..... is as follows.

1. There were already thousands of Jews living in complete harmony with the thousands of Palestinian Muslims ..... in Palestine.

2. The British Military had complete control over all of Palestine and complete and unquestionable authority over all Jewish and Palestinian Muslim residents of Palestine.

3. When a large group of Jewish refugees of WWII managed to get aboard a ship and attempt to “go to Palestine” the British Military prevented them from doing so.

4. As the result of a “hunger strike” or whatever by the occupants of said ship, the British Government relented …… and the British Military permitted the ship to offload all the Jews onto Palestinian soil.

5. The resident Jewish and Muslim population welcomed those Jewish refugees with open arms and a hug ….. and everyone was happy except for the British Military being in ABSOLUTE CONTROL of everything.

6. The UN voted to declare part of Palestine as ….. the State of Israel, ……. and even before all of the British Military could clear out and depart from all of Palestine …… all hell broke loose when some power hungry grubbing Muslim(s) immediately began attacking and killing the Jewish residents.

And my thoughts were .... déjà vu ........ and al Sadar too.

cheers