According to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have never been as close to peace as the two are now. The P.M. gave his sunny prognosis for the prospect of a lasting peace accord Sunday at a regional conference for Mediterranean states in Paris.
"It seems to me that we have never been as close to the possibility of reaching an accord as we are today," Olmert proclaimed at a news conference, with P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas and French President Nicolas Sarkozy standing at either side.
On the topic of the ongoing peace talks with Syria, Olmert said that "while the talks are indirect at this time, we hope to make the negotiations direct in the near future. This avenue will not be pursued at the expense of the Palestinian one."
To underscore his positivity towards the Israel-PA peace process, P.M. Olmert said that he is prepared to release more PA terrorists as another goodwill measure for PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The proposal was the latest in a long string of "goodwill" measures since he took office, including freeing hundreds of terrorists, allowing the PA to deploy armed forces in major Arab cities and removing more than 100 security roadblocks and checkpoints in Judea and Samaria.
Abbas echoed Olmert’s cheery sentiment, insisting that the Palestinian Authority is serious in its commitment to peace with Israel.
"We respect the Road Map and all other international treaties. We know that peace in the Middle East is the basis for world peace and unless achieved, world peace is at risk," said Abbas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni sat alongside her boss at the conference and spoke in glowing terms similar to Olmert’s. “When I look at my neighbors I first of all see human beings facing similar challenges,” she told the 43-nation Union for the Mediterranean conference earlier in the day.
"The only way to deal with these challenges is through cooperation,” said Livni. “Don't let the region's nations' ability to cooperate be held hostage by political considerations.”
Not all at the conference were pleased with the state of Israeli-Arab entente. Syria’s Foreign Minister, Walid Muallem, left the conference hall before Livni spoke, apparently in protest, and missed hearing Livni’s optimistic remarks. However, Muallem's deputy and representatives from several other Arab countries that have been traditionally hostile to Israel remained seated for her speech.
Livni went on to challenge her Arab counterparts. "I know that part of the conference participants view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an obstacle on the way to promoting joint projects, but I do not accept this,” she added. “Cooperation and joint ventures contribute to the leaders' ability to make decisions. We have more common challenges in the region than conflicts."