Even though Palestinian and Israeli officials announced their refusal to meet at this week’s United Nations General Assembly, the obstinate statesmen reluctantly agreed to tripartite talks between President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Special Envoy George Mitchell spent all of last week in negotiations in the Middle East to secure the meeting, considered an early success for Obama. Originally, Abbas declared that he would not meet with any Israeli officials until there is a complete settlement freeze in the West Bank. Netanyahu continues to refuse to freeze settlements, although a temporary freeze agreement is likely in the works.
Separate meetings between Obama and each of the two other leaders will precede the three way discussion. While officials do not expect the brief meeting to result in the resumption of the peace process, the encounter represents a breakthrough that could soften the ground for additional negotiations.
Both the Palestinians and Israelis agreed to the meeting in order to avoid being blamed for refusing to even begin some sort of reconciliation. Further, any refusal to meet would result in a diplomatic blow to Obama, who has called for the meeting.
Meanwhile, Palestinian officials took a hard-line approach against Israel, with Jordanian King Abdullah joining a growing chorus of Arab leaders ahead of the UN summit that urge a settlement freeze. A statement issued from Amman said:
“The two leaders [Abbas and Abdullah] believe that the world community must now take responsibilities by preventing Israel from scuttling current efforts aimed at relaunching serious and effective negotiations that can lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
“They warned that losing the opportunity currently available for achieving peace will jeopardize security and stability in the region.”
