Back-channel negotiations are being conducted between Israeli
and Palestinian academics to smooth over differences on
Jerusalem and clinch a deal within the next two weeks, the
Palestinian who heads one such group told The Jerusalem
Post.
Since the collapse of the Camp David negotiations last month,
informal sessions have been running alongside the official
negotiations.
Such "second track" groups have played an important role in
the past, with the most striking example being the unofficial
talks that were headed by Yossi Beilin that lead to the 1993
Oslo Accord.
However, Prime Minister Barak's aides said that with the
passage of time he is increasingly convinced that Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat is not a partner with whom agreement can
be reached and the chances of the Palestinians becoming more
flexible are exceedingly slim.
"Nevertheless," one aide said, "the door is not yet
closed."
At the beginning of Sunday's cabinet meeting, Barak said,
"Regarding the negotiations with the Palestinians, we have
yet to hear from them about an openness and willingness to
discuss the ideas which were raised at Camp David, especially
those regarding Jerusalem. The limited amount of time is well-
known and in the coming weeks we will know whether Arafat is
set on an agreement or an impasse."
Public posturing over the shape of the agreement and various
moves that could be made before continued. Palestinian
Authority Secretary-General Ahmed Abdel Rahman told the Voice
of Palestine that settlers would become hostages if Israel
were to annex parts of the West Bank in retaliation for a
unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood.
"Israel has a presence in the Palestinian lands, which would
be on the level of hostages in the hands of Palestinians," he
said.
According to Abdel Rahman, "settlements that are in the
Palestinian lands will become isolated and will face a real
danger if Israel closed off the territories from all
sides."
Abdel Rahman's threats came in reaction to strong hints that
both Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Acting Foreign Minister
Shlomo Ben-Ami have made recently that a unilateral
declaration of independence would trigger a unilateral
Israeli reaction, namely the annexation of much of the West
Bank.
Barak was to meet on Tuesday with Jordan's King Abdullah II
in the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. Earlier in the day
Abdullah is to meet with Arafat. On Monday, Jordanian Chief
of Staff Lt.-Gen. Mohammed Malkawi visited Tel Aviv as guest
of Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz. The one-day
visit follows Mofaz's visit to Jordan last month. Senior
Jordanian officers joined Malkawi.
Military sources said that Israel and Jordan are planning to
hold a joint naval search and rescue exercise in the Gulf of
Aqaba in January. The maneuvers will be the third over the
past two years, another sign of the steady and deepening
military ties between the two countries.
The Americans are still working to bring an agreement as
well.
