BICOM

According to media reports, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has made a series of demands to the US about the content of a framework agreement currently under discussion, many of which will be unacceptable to Israel.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is currently developing a US paper which will define a framework for further negotiations towards a final status agreement. It is believed that the US hopes to present the paper within weeks, and wants both sides will accept it as a basis for further talks, without necessarily agreeing to all its details.

However, reports by Channel Two’s senior analyst Ehud Ya’ari and the Palestinian Ma’an news agency indicate that Abbas has set inflexible conditions for such an agreement. Citing Muhammad Sabih, Palestinian Affairs Representative to the Arab League, Ma’an says that Abbas will not recognise Israel as a Jewish State, a condition Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly described as essential for reaching a final status agreement. In addition, Abbas is said to demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the Jordan Valley within three years, and no residual presence for the Israeli military on the Jordanian border. Israel has said that an IDF force there is crucial for its security and neighbouring Jordan also reportedly favours a continued Israeli presence. Over the weekend Abbas gained the backing of the Arab League over this demand.

Ma’an says that Abbas opposes a demilitarized Palestinian state, another Israeli demand, although Ya’ari said that Abbas will accept a “state with limited arms”, as was discussed in previous talks. Ma’an also reports that Abbas is demanding Palestinian control of East Jerusalem in its entirety, including the Old City and its holy sites, which will be unacceptable to Israel. He further demands that any land swaps should be limited.

Meanwhile, Israel Hayom reports this morning that Israel will ask to extend the current peace talks by a year beyond the nine-month timeframe agreed in July. Maariv, Makor Rishon and Israel Hayom also report that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to include the release of convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard as a condition of a future peace deal. This comes against the backdrop of reports that the US eavesdropped on former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and former defence minister Ehud Barak.