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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| W Bank talks for Abbas and Olmert | W Bank talks for Abbas and Olmert |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Talks between Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank have been described by both sides as "constructive". | |
| Broad principles for establishing a Palestinian state were discussed but no significant progress was announced. | |
| The Jericho meeting was the highest level one between the two sides in a Palestinian city for some years. | |
| The session was one in a series of meetings ahead of a US-sponsored peace conference in November. | |
| At a news conference after the talks, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Mr Abbas had "not come to the meeting with a magic wand, and neither did Mr Olmert". | |
| "There is an agreement on a series of meetings to discuss the issues, including the establishment of a Palestinian state," he said. | |
| David Baker, an official in Mr Olmert's office, said: "Both sides decided to expand the contents of their discussions in order to advance the understandings... to allow further progress to be made for the establishment of a Palestinian state." | |
| Good will | Good will |
| Before the talks there appeared to be conflicting expectations. | |
| Saeb Erekat had said that the Palestinians wished to sketch the outlines of a final peace deal and were looking to "establish the parameters" for resolving the core issues. | |
| [They]... are just embarking once again down a long road that has produced no result for the Palestinian people Ismail Haniya, a Hamas leader | [They]... are just embarking once again down a long road that has produced no result for the Palestinian people Ismail Haniya, a Hamas leader |
| "Once the parameters are established, then it can be deferred to experts [for drafting]," he said. | |
| One of the specific issues the Palestinians wanted to discuss is the reduction of military checkpoints in the West Bank. | |
| However, Israel's David Baker had said the core issues would not be discussed. | |
| Describing the meeting as a gesture of good will, he said it would be restricted to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, Israeli security concerns and the institutions of a future Palestinian state. | Describing the meeting as a gesture of good will, he said it would be restricted to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, Israeli security concerns and the institutions of a future Palestinian state. |
| Palestinians want fewer Israeli checkpoints on the West Bank | |
| Speaking from the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniya, the former Hamas prime minister, dismissed the talks as futile. | Speaking from the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniya, the former Hamas prime minister, dismissed the talks as futile. |
| "It's clear that the meetings... are just embarking once again down a long road that has produced no result for the Palestinian people." | "It's clear that the meetings... are just embarking once again down a long road that has produced no result for the Palestinian people." |
| The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Jericho says many people across the Palestinian territories will remain sceptical about progress being made until they feel it in their day to day lives. | The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Jericho says many people across the Palestinian territories will remain sceptical about progress being made until they feel it in their day to day lives. |
| Drawing closer | Drawing closer |
| Co-operation between the Israelis and the Fatah administration of Mr Abbas, centred on the West Bank, has improved since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June. | Co-operation between the Israelis and the Fatah administration of Mr Abbas, centred on the West Bank, has improved since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June. |
| The takeover has left the Palestinian territories split between the two rival factions. | The takeover has left the Palestinian territories split between the two rival factions. |
| Israel has been trying to bolster Mr Abbas's position, freeing some Palestinian prisoners and releasing frozen Palestinian tax revenues. | Israel has been trying to bolster Mr Abbas's position, freeing some Palestinian prisoners and releasing frozen Palestinian tax revenues. |
| Several hundred gunmen of the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have taken advantage of an Israeli offer of amnesty and have handed in their weapons to Palestinian authorities and renounced violence. | Several hundred gunmen of the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have taken advantage of an Israeli offer of amnesty and have handed in their weapons to Palestinian authorities and renounced violence. |
| Mr Olmert's popularity has plummeted since an inconclusive war in Lebanon last year that was intended to smash Hezbollah militants. | Mr Olmert's popularity has plummeted since an inconclusive war in Lebanon last year that was intended to smash Hezbollah militants. |
| And it is not clear whether Mr Abbas can bring Hamas, which refuses to recognise the Israeli state, in on any deal. | And it is not clear whether Mr Abbas can bring Hamas, which refuses to recognise the Israeli state, in on any deal. |