Palestine Affairs

Meeting Minutes: Trilateral - United States, Israel and Palestine Summary   Minutes of meeting among US, Palestinian and Israeli delegation in Jerusalem for Annapolis negotiations. The sides discuss whether they can reach an agreement before the end of 2008. The conversation primarily focused on the use 1967 borders as a baseline, East Jerusalem, settlement annexation and related issues. Full text Trilateral Meeting Minutes   Jerusalem – Inpal Hotel (Larome) 15 June 2008 16:15 – 18:15   Attendees   American side: - Condoleeza Rice  David Walsh  Eliot Abrams  Jamal Hilal   Palestinian side: - Ahmad Qurei (Abu Ala)  Dr Saeb Erekat  Salah Ilayan   Israeli side: - Tzipi Livni  Tal Becker  Udi Dekel   Rice: - I thank you for this meeting. Our last trilateral meeting was ver...

Meeting Minutes: 8th Meeting on Territory Summary   The Palestinians affirmed their position that negotiations are based on UNSCR 242 and 338, while the Israelis continued to assert their claims to land within the 1967 line and stressed they are not "giving" anything back. The Israelis backtracked on swaps and would not discuss swaps unless Ma'ale Adumim, Givat ze'ev and Ariel are discussed.  Samih Al-Abed: …[T]hese negotiations didn’t come out from a vacuum. They’ve been discussed in Camp David, Taba and Geneva. There is a history of talks. You can’t come up with a proposal as if there was nothing before. If we do not consider these talks, we cannot move forward… You exaggerated your demands on us that it is not even close to previous agreements. Udi Dekel, Israeli Official: Since 2...

Meeting Minutes: Post-Annapolis Plenary Session on Territory Summary   Minutes of a post-Annapolis plenary session on Territory. Both sides discussed news reports regarding Israel's decision to negotiate with Syria over the return of the Golan Heights. However, the majority of the conversation focused on border and territory issues, particularly those regarding East Jerusalem and No Man's Land.  The Israeli side presented their assessment of the Palestinian land swap proposal. Qurei: “There are 30,000 people in Ma’ale Adumim. They can live under Palestinian rule.” Livni: “You know this is not realistic.” Qurei: “So take them [out], like you did in Gaza.” Livni: “We are going to [take out many settlers].” Qurei: “If you want peace…I was against this, but Saeb and Samih said we should ...

Meeting Minutes: Borders with Erekat, Qurei and Livni Summary   Palestinians presented their position regarding borders: 1967 borders along with all areas occupied by Israel in the 1967 area, West Bank with No Man's Land and East Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, Gaza Strip and the Dead Sea. Palestinians also presented maps for land swaps - swaps by the ratio of 1:1 (same size and value). Full text Meeting Minutes On Borders   Jerusalem, King David Hotel 4 May 2008 20:45-21:30   Attendees:   Palestinians side: Ahmad Qurei (Abu Ala’)  Dr. Saeb Erekat  Dr. Samih al-Abed  Khaled Elgindi  Salah Ilayan  Zeinah Salahi   Israeli side: Tzipi Livni  Udi Dekel  Tal Becker  Dani Terza   Livni: Based on what I have heard in the trilateral meeting with Condoleeza Rice, I believe that yo...

Meeting Minutes: Borders - Ahmed Qurei, Saeb Erekat and Tzipi Livni Summary   Meeting minutes on border. Palestinians stressed the 1967 border. The question of East Jerusalem and territories around the 1967 border. Qurei'a reacts to Israeli proposition, "This solution is not the two-state solution. It is the five-state solution: a state in Gaza, a state in Jerusalem, a state for settlers, a Palestinian state and an Israeli state." Livni's reaction to 5 million Palestinian refugees, "We do not create a state for every refugee we create a concept." Livni: Let us be fair. You referred to 1967 line. We have not talked about Jerusalem yet. There are some Palestinian villages that are located on both sides of the 1967 line about which we need to have an answer, such as Beit Safafa, Barta’a...

Meeting Summary: 5th Meeting on Territory Summary   Summary of the 5th Meeting on Territory. The Israelis presented their ideas on the additional areas they want in the West Bank. Israel refused to discuss details on land swap proposals, claiming no official decisions had been made. Both sides noted the lack of progress on territory issues. Full text Minutes of 5th Meeting on Territory Monday, 7 April 2008, 18h10 King David Hotel, West Jerusalem Attendees: Palestinian: Dr. Samih Al-Abed [SA], Azem Bishara [AB], Khaled Elgindy [KE], Nizar Farsakh [NF] and Fouad Hallak [FH] Israeli:          Udi Dekel [UD], Dani Tirza [DT], Leah Arad [LA] and Kamil Abu-Rukn [KAR][1] Overview: The Israeli side presented their ideas on the rest of the areas they want in the West Bank (basic...

Meeting Summary: 5th Meeting on Territory Summary   Summary of the 5th Meeting on Territory. The Israelis presented their ideas on the additional areas they want in the West Bank. Israel refused to discuss details on land swap proposals, claiming no official decisions had been made. Both sides noted the lack of progress on territory issues. Full text Minutes of 5th Meeting on Territory Monday, 7 April 2008, 18h10 King David Hotel, West Jerusalem Attendees: Palestinian: Dr. Samih Al-Abed [SA], Azem Bishara [AB], Khaled Elgindy [KE], Nizar Farsakh [NF] and Fouad Hallak [FH] Israeli:          Udi Dekel [UD], Dani Tirza [DT], Leah Arad [LA] and Kamil Abu-Rukn [KAR][1] Overview: The Israeli side presented their ideas on the rest of the areas they want in the West Bank (basic...

Meeting Minutes: 4th Plenary Meeting on Territory - March 31, 2008, 2:45 pm Summary Members of this meeting discussed the potential Israeli annexation of the area southwest of Bethlehem (the Etzion bloc) and minimizing the number of Palestinians living in this territory. Despite the settlement freeze, Israeli members of the committee argued that they were not building new settlements, but rather building upon what is already theirs in Jerusalem and within the blocs, which they believed was sufficient to meet their Roadmap obligations. Khaled Elgindy (Negotiations Support Unit, Palestinian Authority): When you say tunnels, would you consider connecting your settlements with the same kind of tunnels that you propose – and are actually building on the ground – for Palestinian villages t...

Meeting Minutes: 1st Meeting on Territory Summary   Minutes of the first meeting on territory, where Palestinian and Israeli parties discussed common language and understandings on territories and borders. The Israeli side refused to engage on the basis of the 1967 line or to accept the principle of a swap.  The parties were unable to agree on a starting point for negotiations.  Full text   Minutes of First Meeting on Territory Wednesday, 12 March 12 2008, 12:30 PM KingDavid Hotel, West Jerusalem Attendees: Palestinian: Dr. Samih Al-Abed [SA], Khaled Elgindy [KE], Nizar Farsakh [NF] Israeli: Udi Dekel [UD] and Dani Tirza [DT] Overview: The Israeli side refused to engage on the basis of the 1967 line or to accept the principle of a swap—and it was clear that they had no ...

Meeting Minutes: Saeb Erekat, Ahmed Qurei and Tzipi Livni Summary Minutes of meeting among Erekat, Qurei and Livni. The parties discuss establishing committees on state-to-state issues and have an intense debate regarding the use of 1967 borders as a springboard for ongoing discussions and negotiations. Livni: Do not say that the terms of reference should be 1967 borders because I cannot accept this and I know your position towards 1967 borders. Qurei:If we agree on the principle of borders it will be easier for us to reach an agreement. This is better than just talking about the existence of Israelis in Hebron, Jericho, Jerusalem and its outskirts. Livni:I can understand your position with regard to 1967 borders but I cannot accept it. Qurei: Then 1949 armistice line. Livni: I asked...