A year ago, Israel, Jordan and Egypt secretly met for peace - report

REUTERS

 

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a news conference after holding bilateral talks with his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta (not pictured) at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya February 18, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

 

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met secretly a year ago with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan in a failed attempt by the Obama administration to convene a wider regional summit on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Israel's Haaretz daily said on Sunday.

 

At the White House on Wednesday, Netanyahu again raised the possibility of what he described as a "regional approach" to Israeli-Palestinian peace at a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, who appeared to embrace the idea.

 

Citing unidentified senior officials in former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, Haaretz said Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry convened on Feb. 21, 2016 in the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba.

 

But the initiative to involve other Arab states in the pursuit of peace with the Palestinians ultimately fizzled out, the newspaper said, after Netanyahu withdrew his initial support, pointing to opposition within his right-wing government.

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not attend the Aqaba meeting but was updated by Kerry, Haaretz said.

 

At a meeting with ministers from his Likud party, Netanyahu acknowledged the meeting took place, though he said it was his own initiative to try and bring about a regional summit, according to a cabinet member present, who declined to be identified.

 

A spokesman for Netanyahu declined to comment on the report. Sisi's office issued a statement referring to the news report, though it did not name Haaretz, as having "incorrect information" but did not deny that a meeting took place. No immediate comment was available from Jordan.

 

Kerry launched his final peacemaking bid after U.S.-backed talks between the two sides collapsed in 2014 over issues that included Israeli settlement-building in the occupied territories and Palestinian refusal to accept Israel's demand to recognise it as a Jewish state.

 

Prospects for a new peace push appear dim with Netanyahu in a political tight spot at home and under police investigation for alleged abuse of office, which he denies.

 

Far-right members of Netanyahu's coalition have been emboldened by Trump's suggestion that he was open to new ways to achieve peace that did not necessarily entail the creation of a Palestinian state, a benchmark of U.S. policy for decades.

 

"I'm looking at two states and one state, and I like the one both parties like," Trump said.

 

On Thursday, however, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the United States still supports a two-state solution.

 

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, said he believed a Middle East peace push was possible. "My country stands ready together with other Arab countries to work and to see how we can promote that," Al-Jubeir said.

 

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, also at the Munich conference, said he supported the creation of a Palestinian state. "The end game is no doubt a two-state solution," Lieberman said, adding a peace accord should be reached within a regional deal.

 

Asked whether Lieberman would be meeting in Munich with any senior Arab officials, his spokesman declined to comment.

 

(Writing by Maayan Lubell; additional reporting by John Irish and Vladimir Soldatkin in Munich, Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; Editing by Jeffrey Heller, Ruth Pitchford, Mark Potter and Andrew Bolton)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-20

10 hours ago, webfact said:

But the initiative to involve other Arab states in the pursuit of peace with the Palestinians ultimately fizzled out, the newspaper said, after Netanyahu withdrew his initial support,

And he will continue to negotiate in bad faith so long as the US continues to reward Israel to obstruct the peace process.

23 hours ago, Srikcir said:

And he will continue to negotiate in bad faith so long as the US continues to reward Israel to obstruct the peace process.

 

Generic one liners are to be expected.

 

Hardly a Netanyahu fan, but what does the OP have to do with negotiating "in bad faith"? Seems like Netanyahu acknowledged that he could not muster the political support required and therefore declined. That might be called cowardly, lacking vision or motivated by personal interests, but not quite "bad faith".

 

For that matter, the Palestinian position regarding these negotiations remains obscure. Abbas was informed, but there's no indication as to what his response was or whether he was consulted beforehand. Furthermore, considering Abbas's own political predicament and constraints - it is all but probable that had he been party to these negotiations, his own reaction would have been similar - not enough political and popular backing. Or, to put it otherwise, cowardice, lack of vision and personal interests.

 

The US support for Israel is rather constant, regardless of who's leading either country. I don't think that the US provided more support for Israeli pro-peace governments compared with the likes of Netanyahu's cabinet. The above comment, then, seems to be the usual run of the mill generalized objection to US support afforded to Israel.

And they are still fighting over whose going to sit where.

It would be interesting if the U.S. and all the arab leaders got together and said "Enough is enough!" Cut off all travel to and from the entire country and cut off all financial aid, tell the Israelis and the Palestinians that they will stay isolated from the rest of the world until THEY reach an agreement or 1 side kills off the other side. This same BS has been going on for most of the nearly 6 decades of my life and I can't be the only 1 in the world getting sick of hearing about who can and can't live where. It's a freaking rock surrounded by sand for christ's sake.

Either that or some arab country should offer to carve the Israelis out a nice chunk of sand and relocate them. The country originally belonged to the Palestinians so just let them have it.

17 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

It would be interesting if the U.S. and all the arab leaders got together and said "Enough is enough!" Cut off all travel to and from the entire country and cut off all financial aid, tell the Israelis and the Palestinians that they will stay isolated from the rest of the world until THEY reach an agreement or 1 side kills off the other side. This same BS has been going on for most of the nearly 6 decades of my life and I can't be the only 1 in the world getting sick of hearing about who can and can't live where. It's a freaking rock surrounded by sand for christ's sake.

Either that or some arab country should offer to carve the Israelis out a nice chunk of sand and relocate them. The country originally belonged to the Palestinians so just let them have it.

 

There was no Palestinian country "belonging" to the nowadays Palestinians. Ever. The partition plan, which would have seen the first such country, was declined. Two of the same Arab countries you hope will do something for the Palestinians occupied and tried to annex the land that "belonged to the Palestinians".

 

Considering how most Arab countries treat the Palestinians residing within their borders, it is unlikely that they will be open to the sort of nonsense ideas aired in the closing part of your post.

 

No one is making you follow news stories and reports about the conflict, and If "a rock surrounded by sand" serves as an example of your familiarity with the land, doubt any of it got much of a direct bearing on your life. Avoidance is easy.