News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) The issue of creating a new Arab state on Israeli land is "between us and the Palestinian Authority (PA)" and "we will not wait for others," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared Wednesday afternoon. His remarks were an implicit message to Arab countries that he will not wait for a finalization of the Saudi 2002 initiative. It calls for Israel to surrender all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza for a new Arab state, and for Israel to confer a right to more than five million foreign Arabs to move to Israel, based on the claim of being descendants of Arabs who fled in 1948.

"We are strong enough to take chances," the Prime Minister said after meeting with Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers who also served as Arab League delegates. "The people believe in the chance for peace and we have a serious partner with Abbas. If other Arabs states want to get involved, fine, but we will not wait. We are leading and initiating the process," he added.