BICOM

The Israeli government yesterday accepted the Middle East Quartet’s proposal for restarting negotiations with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met yesterday with his inner cabinet of eight senior ministers and issued a statement following the meeting. “Israel welcomes the Quartet’s call for direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions, as called for by both President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu,” the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office read. The statement added that Israel has some concerns over the proposal but that it would raise them at the appropriate time. The Israeli statement also called on the Palestinian Authority to accept the Quartet proposal and to start direct peace talks without any delay.

The US State Department welcomed Israel’s willingness to accept the Quartet’s proposal. US spokesperson, Victoria Nuland said that the best means to advance with the peace process will be to “resume negotiations without preconditions, on the timetable proposed by the Quartet.” The Quartet’s proposal calls on both sides to overcome obstacles and resume direct bilateral negations without any delay or preconditions. It proposes a preparatory meeting between the parties within a month to agree on an agenda and a “method of proceeding with negotiations” with the objective of reaching a final agreement within a timeframe “no longer than the end of 2012”.

Meanwhile, in related news, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta arrives in Israel today and will meet with Defence Minister Ehud Barak and PM Netanyahu. For Barak and Panetta, it will be their second meeting in two weeks. Barak previously met with Panetta in Washington just before the UN General Assembly where the Palestinian application for statehood was presented.

On the flight to Israel, Panetta said that his trip would reaffirm US-Israel security relations and would aim to help Israel improve its deteriorating relations with Turkey and Egypt. Panetta warned that Israel was at risk of becoming isolated and more vulnerable if it did not take steps to repair ties with neighbouring countries and restart negotiations with the Palestinians. He added that the US remains committed to helping Israel maintain its “qualitative military edge” in the Middle East, but that genuine security would not come through military hardware, but by returning to peace negotiations.