Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Israel's Cabinet Presents New Obstacle for Peace Talks

Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | November 19, 2007
WITH no date finalised and the list of attendants not yet clear, the
Annapolis summit faces a further roadblock, with the Israeli cabinet
due to vote today on a demand that the Palestinians recognise Israel
as a Jewish state before any negotiations are held.
President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian legislators remained opposed
to the bid, which they see as an attempt to derail the tabling of
items long at the top of their sovereignty checklist.
The Annapolis summit - the pinnacle thus far of the Bush
administration's attempts to mediate the 59-year-old Holy Land
conflict - is starting to look like little more than a bilateral show
of support for the two sides, rather than a leap forward with long-
dormant core issues.
The morning of November 27 is looming as a likely date for Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Mr Abbas to meet at the White House
with US President George W.Bush. The summit proper is due to take
place that afternoon, with the world and the regional nations who end
up attending finally hearing the fruits of the three sides' six months
of backroom talks.
Mr Abbas spent the weekend in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, holding talks
with King Abdullah, the monarch and regional activist recently touted
by the US as a possible deal-maker in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
Saudi Arabia's attendance at the conference had been mooted as a
triumph in itself. The custodians of the two most holy Islamic shrines
and most powerful Sunni Arab voice in the region had been implacably
opposed to Israel since the state was established.
Months of low-key contacts and meetings between Mr Olmert and key
Saudi regime figures in Jordan had raised hopes for acceptance of a
Jewish state and, eventually, full diplomatic relations.
But last night, the state-run Saudi news agency was flagging a
likelihood that King Abdullah would not turn up to Annapolis and nor
might any Saudi officials.
Also on the "maybe not" list is Syria, which has insisted that any
summit that fails to table the future of the Golan Heights is not
serious about solving the region's problems.
Mr Abbas is reportedly pessimistic. His aides say the negotiation
rooms have been brimming with goodwill, though they have criticised
the Israeli side for not giving ground on the issues they hold dear,
such as the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and movement
towards core statehood items, including the return of refugees, final
borders and the future of Jerusalem.
Mr Olmert's aides said yesterday that substantial negotiations would
start immediately following Annapolis, which would re-orientate both
sides towards the "road map for peace". The road map is a prescriptive
series of steps designed to lead to a two-state solution, which won
the support of both sides during the blazing intifada but has remained
dormant ever since.
The first phase of the road map stipulates that Israel must stop
settlement expansion in the West Bank and the Palestinians must stop
all terror groups and militant-faction activity. Both sides have
failed in their initial obligations, but US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice last week said those shortcomings would be set aside
for now, to get the bigger picture back on track.
The Israeli Arab Higher Monitoring Committee was yesterday drafting a
document that refuses to recognise the demand, led by right-wing
Israeli politicians, that it recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
Israel is home to a sizeable Arab minority, split between Christian
and Sunni Muslim communities.
"This is the last thing we will consider, nor do we need, ahead of the
meeting, which was already imperilled," said committee official Raja
Agabaria.
Ahead of the meeting, the mood in Israel and the West Bank remains
subdued, with few on either side talking at all about it, let alone
what it may produce.
In Jerusalem yesterday, businessman Moshe Levi said: "We have seen it
all before with Oslo, Barak and Arafat, the Beirut conference
(sponsored by the Arab League in 2002) and now this. Only when it
leads to something will I start reading the newspapers."
In nearby Ramallah, accountant Ashraf Mouallem said: "All this is a
photo opportunity for the Americans and Israelis who want to appear in
the world papers standing alongside a Saudi or a Syrian official. We
know it and the Saudis know it. No wonder they are wary."

 as a Jewish state before any negotiations are held.
ci credo che mettono ostacoli, sanno che con Richelieu ad Annapolis la
pace si dovrà fare, e chi si oppone ad essa dovrà dirlo esplicitamente
e smettere di fare il gioco delel tre carte....