Israel Shows That Palestinians Planned To Blow Up Peace Talks

In his letter dated April 22, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Yossi Cohen, included a policy paper written by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in preparation for a Palestinian rejection of American mediation efforts and Israeli overtures.  The paper was written in March, nearly a month before Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made a unilateral move to sign 15 international conventions, ostensibly in response to Israel’s refusal to honor its commitment to release the final round of prisoners.

 

As Erekat had planned the maneuver weeks before Israel announced its refusal to release the prisoners, Cohen argues, the Palestinian leadership never intended to follow through with peace talks in good faith.
Cohen sent copies of Erekat’s policy paper with his letter to his US counterpart Susan Rice, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, all Israel-based EU ambassadors, and ambassadors from China, Russia and other countries. He appealed to the recipients to “draw conclusions” as to the Palestinians’ “bad faith” and responsibility for the failure of the latest round of peace talks.

Read More: Bad Faith: Israel Provides Documents Showing Palestinians Planned To Blow Up Peace Talks.