Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that “all of the essential problems” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority would be discussed at the Annapolis Conference. The “essential problems” in question include such issues as the status of Jerusalem, the borders of a PA state, and the PA’s demand that millions of foreign Arabs be allowed to “return” to Israel.
PA officials have pushed to discuss “core issues” before the conference, and say the conference will be meaningless if the issues are not resolved. Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu have both threatened to leave the government if “core issues” are discussed at Annapolis.