Following the Israeli complete rejection voiced Thursday afternoon for the Saudi peace plan, Israel’s Foreign Minister Shimon Peres welcomed the Arab League's endorsement of the Saudi initiative.
"Israeli regards any call for peace and normalization as a positive step. The initiative is important, but it is liable to collapse if terrorism is not stopped." Peres added that Israel could also not afford to ignore the negative tones sounded by some of the speakers at the summit.
Former Labor ministers Yossi Beilin and Shlomo Ben-Ami also spoke favorably of the Arab League decision. Ben-Ami said it could serve as the basis for negotiations, while Beilin suggested it offered a chance - perhaps the last chance - to return to "sanity."
Opposition leader Yossi Sarid said he was glad that in spite of all the anti-Israel rhetoric at the summit, what came out of it was a reasonable document that must be advanced. "It's Israel's decision whether this decision will dissolve and evaporate or be taken seriously and become a reality," Sarid said.
Foreign Ministry officials noted that it was hard for Israel to be receptive to such a peace initiative barely a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 21 people in Netanya. "We think it's a very important and interesting initiative. But we are not going into the details of it without looking at the details first," ministry spokeswoman Amira Oron said.
"After the horrible thing that happened yesterday, it's very hard for us today to speak about peace or peace talks. We hope time will make it easier for us," Oron said. "But we are under a cloud from these terrorist actions.... First of all we must stop this terrible violence."
Earlier, another ministry spokesman, Emmanuel Nachshon, said the Saudi initiative "represents a non-starter in its current form. "We don't reject the Saudi initiative as such, but we do not accept the inclusion of the right of return of refugees," he added.
"The resolutions calling for the return of refugees and a return to the 1967 borders are non-starters," said Ra'anan Gissin, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman. At the same time, Gissin said if the initiative signals a willingness to negotiate with Israel, and is used to create a framework for a peace process, it may be positive.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said the ball was squarely in Israel’s court following the two-day Arab summit in Beirut. He urged the Israelis to “gamble on peace” and respond in kind to the new Saudi-initiated Arab peace plan.
“In 50 years, they’ve gambled on force, on intimidation, on war, on violence. Let them now gamble on peace once and trust,” the prince said, addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the summit.
Prince Saud called for an immediate withdrawal of Israel from occupied territories. “It cannot hold on to the occupied land and demand security at the same time. It has to withdraw immediately,” he stated.
In his press conference, Prince Saud urged the Israelis to embrace peace to stop the bloodshed. “Blood only brings blood. The Old Testament said so,” he said. “So my call to the Israeli people is the same call that his Royal Highness (Crown Prince Abdullah) gave them yesterday. If you want genuine peace, you must respond in kind,” the foreign minister said.
“I hope the people of Israel who are interested in the security and stability and future of their children will see to it that this peace initiative be responded to in kind,” he said.
Responding to a question on Wednesday’s bombing in the Israeli town of Netanya, Prince Saud said: “There are losses we do not condone. But there are Arabs, Palestinians killed everywhere, in Ramallah, in all these cities and villages of Palestine,” he added. “Where do you end? If I mention one dead here, do I mention the other dead there?” he asked.
The Saudi minister called the summit the most successful and historic Arab conference. He said the crown prince presented the new peace initiative to end the killing of Palestinians. “There were calls to continue the uprising. But no Arab forces or volunteers came forward to save the Palestinians.”
He said the new peace plan will at least put pressure on Israel from within and outside. “If anybody has a better proposal let him present it,” he challenged. He said no Arab country had boycotted the summit.
According to Arab News daily, Prince Saud said the crown prince would discuss Middle East peace with US President George W. Bush in his upcoming visit to Washington.
For its part, the United States has welcomed the Beirut Declaration, with a senior US official, calling it a “positive development.” “It is significant, we can’t recall a time when Arab leaders actually sat down and talked about peace with Israel.”
“It’s what we have to have, but we also need the violence to come down,” the official said on condition of anonymity. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
