News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority negotiators are angry over Israel's latest proposal for a settlement, which includes large tracts of land in Judea and Samaria, the Jordan River Valley and Jerusalem, as well as special security conditions for a mountainous ridge east of Ben Gurion International Airport.

A senior Israeli official said the issue of borders is the least of the problems at this point; "The matter of the [PA] refugees and sovereignty over Jerusalem are far more complex and sensitive," he said. A senior PA official quoted by Ynet said Defense Minister Ehud Barak "poses an obstacle to the talks." The source said that Barak "is panicking that the current negotiations may succeed... Barak has taken the Labor party from the peace camp to the side of settlers and extremists."