BICOM

According to a report in Haaretz newspaper today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior diplomatic adviser Isaac Molho secretly met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday. Molcho conveyed Israel’s objection to the European Union’s intention to present the parameters for the establishment of a Palestinian state. A senior Israeli official told the paper that Israel used the visit “to present new Israeli ideas for re-launching the peace process with the Palestinians.”

Britain, France and Germany are seeking the endorsement of the initiative at the Quartet meeting in two weeks. The principles of the initiative known so far include setting up two states on the basis of the 1967 borders with territorial swaps; a “fair, realistic and agreed-upon solution” to the predicament of the Palestinian refugees; Jerusalem as a capital for both states and security arrangements that would protect Israel but not infringe on Palestinian sovereignty. Israel strongly opposes this move, which pre-empts final-status issues that should be discussed in direct, bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership.

Israeli policymakers believe that international initiative ought to be directed at convincing the Palestinians to resume negotiations. There is concern in Jerusalem that international forums like the Quartet or the UN Security Council are being used by the Palestinians to avoid a return to meaningful talks with Israel. The US administration has yet to comment on the initiative, but it has already won the support of the UN. Russia has not stated officially whether it will support the Quartet’s initiative, but Lavrov’s statements during the meeting with Molcho indicate that Russia will be reluctant to block it.

Quartet envoys are expected to visit Israel next week, to prepare the foreign ministers’ summit. They will meet Molho and the Palestinian negotiators. Netanyahu is expected to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday in Berlin.