An Israeli cabinet minister is calling on leaders of the Arab world to talk peace with Israel, and to use the Saudi Initiative as a basis for talks.
Israelis are also willing to go to the Saudi capital, Riyadh [1], said Housing Minister Meir Sheetrit, from the centrist Qadima party. If he were prime minister, he would invite Arab leaders to Jerusalem to discuss an agreement for full normalization with Arab states, he said.
“In my opinion it can be achieved,” he told The Media Line. “We don’t need mediators. We should talk to the Arabs in a Middle Eastern environment.”
Arab leaders need peace with Israel at this point in time because they are intimidated by Iran’s growing power, Sheetrit said. An alliance with Israel would isolate the Shi’ite country and a Palestinian agreement would follow suit, he added.
Sheetrit made his appeal ahead of the two-day Arab League summit in Riyadh, which began on Wednesday. The Saudi Initiative is expected to dominate the agenda.
The peace plan, launched by the Saudis in 2002, outlines a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under which Israel would withdraw from lands seized since 1967 and accept a Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital. In exchange, Arab countries would normalize relations with Israel.
Israeli officials say the plan has positive elements but demand an amendment to the clause referring to the return of Palestinian refugees. The Arab League has rejected this proposal.
Sign Up for Mideast Daily News
Wake up to the Trusted Mideast News source
By subscribing, you agree to The Media Line terms of use and privacy policy.
 |
| A Peace Now poster urges Israelis to accept the Saudi initiative. |
Leaders from most Arab states are attending the
Riyadh summit.Despite his government’s frosty approach to the initiative, Sheetrit said he believed the plan should be taken seriously.
The Saudi Initiative should be accepted as a basis for an agreement, the details of which can be negotiated, he said.