In a meeting between Prime MInister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today in Jerusalem, Israel reportedly offered to share control of the Temple Mount between the three major religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, and cede control of the Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority.
In addition, the Palestinians will also be given the task of policing three West Bank cities, Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin.
Both sides have also agreed to convene a joint security conference to discuss ways of halting the flow of weapons from Egypt to Gaza, with representatives from Egypt, the US, Israel and the Palestinian Authority participating.
Israeli government spokesman David Baker said Olmert told Abbas he will present a plan drawn up by Israeli security officials that will grant Palestinians freedom of movement within the West Bank.
Throughout the meeting, Olmert stressed that the renewal of ties between Hamas and Fatah will lead to the halting of all discussions between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Al Jazeera reported that in exchange for retaining some of the settlements Israel will be willing to turn over land of an equal size to the Palestinians. Neither side was able to confirm the report.
Abbas meanwhile stipulated his reservations concerning the upcoming Middle East summit to take place in Washington in November. The Palestinian President asked Olmert to be more specific on how Israel intends to approach the peace talks. Prior to Tuesday's meeting, Abbas said he doubted a successful outcome of the summit unless all leaders from the region attend, including Syrian and Lebanese leaders.
Abbas also told Palestinian Radio that if there is a clear framework for the summit, including final status issues, he will agree to attend the summit.08/28/07
Margot Dudkevitch
Infolive.tv
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