If Israel would accept the Saudi peace initiative in tomorrow’s regional summit in Egypt, the Persian Gulf countries would pay it $10 billion, an Arab diplomat in Jordan told the Kuwaiti daily A-Siyasa.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet tomorrow (Monday) in Sharm A-Sheikh under the auspices of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The regional summit will also include Jordan’s King ‘Abdallah II. The four will discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the ways to rekindle the peace talks.
Mubarak and ‘Abdallah II are "authorized to cut a deal with Olmert," the diplomat told the paper.
"If he [Olmert] would agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with the Arab initiative, then the [Persian] Gulf states would be ready to give Israel $10 billion," he added.
The Saudi (or Arab) initiative was first raised in the Arab League summit in Beirut in March 2002 by then Saudi Crown Prince ‘Abdallah Bin ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud. The initiative was reaffirmed in the Arab League summit in March 2007. According to the plan, all Arab states would normalize their relations with Israel in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from territories it had seized in 1967, including east Jerusalem. The plan also demands Israel agree to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and to a just solution for the Palestinian refugees’ problem.
In recent months Israel has shown signs that it would be willing to look into the initiative. Olmert has even praised the "leadership of the Saudi king" (Crown Prince Al Sa’ud was crowned king in August 2005).
There was no corroboration of A-Siyasa‘s report.