Olmert said Wednesday after a meeting in Jerusalem with French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy that he is prepared to meet with the PA president, but only if he actively fights terrorism.
The statement is in direct opposition to campaign promises Olmert made prior to the elections, when he refused to negotiate with Abbas because he did not represent the entire Hamas-led PA government.
“I consider Mahmoud Abbas as a partner but he is not an independent leader,” said Olmert at the meeting with Douste-Blazy, in an echo of his pre-election stance. “When the Palestinian Authority is being controlled by Hamas, diplomatic talks cannot take place,” he reiterated.
However, Olmert softened his position at the same time, telling the French foreign minister that he would meet with Abbas if he made a commitment to fight PA terror aimed at Israel.
“Abbas needs to start to work to fulfill the commitments the Palestinians took upon themselves as part of the Road Map,” he said. Olmert has been cagey about whether he would agree to meet with Abbas, despite pressure from international sources for him to do so.
Despite his new willingness to meet with Abbas to discuss the options for renewed negotiations, Olmert warned that his flexibility would go only so far.
“We will do everything possible so there will be negotiations,” he told the French foreign minister. But he added, “It is important to Israel that France understands that contacts are conditional on Hamas accepting the Quartet’s demands.”
Those demands include formal recognition of Israel’s right to exist, disarming and renouncing terrorism, and upholding agreements signed by the previous PA government. Hamas has continued its refusal to comply with any of them.
For its part, France will not welcome any Hamas leaders, Douste-Blazy promised. “We will not give them entry permits, and we are pressuring other countries on this issue as well,” he said. “Hamas needs to change,” he emphasized. “The world’s position is not going to change, and does not have to change. I won’t meet a single one of them,” pledged the French minister.
The French minister pointedly warned, however, that the international community would not support any move to activate Olmert's unilateral withdrawal plan, regardless of whether or not the PA begins negotiations within the next year.
At a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Douste-Blazy said his country is opposed to “unilateral decisions” on permanent borders.
“It is unacceptable that an international border would be unilaterally established,” he declared after the two met in Jerusalem, underscoring France’s insistence on determining permanent borders through a diplomatic process only.
Olmert pledged to begin unilateral withdrawal from major swathes of Judea and Samaria, destroying more than 25 Jewish communities in the process, if the PA does not begin talks within the next six months. Three blocs would be retained, as well as the city of Jerusalem in his plan to set permanent borders within the next four years.
Douste-Blazy also discussed his country’s concern about the developing humanitarian crisis building up in the PA as a result of the economic drought brought on by Hamas’ unwillingness to meet the Quartet’s demands. Western nations have refused to transfer funds to the terrorist-led PA under the current conditions. Nonetheless, France – as well as a number of other countries, including Russia – has pressured Israel to provide humanitarian support for PA residents.
“France believes that we cannot let the Palestinian people feel they are being abandoned,” said Douste-Blazy. “If the Palestinian nation feels abandoned, it will lead to radicalization and extremism,” he said, adding that it would be counterproductive to the effort to use funding cuts to force Hamas to come to the negotiating table.
Russia has already begun to quietly transfer money directly to Abbas, stipulating the funds are to be used only for humanitarian purposes.
Douste-Blazy said France agreed with a suggestion made by Abbas when they met in Paris two weeks ago to create a special trust fund to pay for PA government workers’ salaries.
“We need to be sure, however, that the money is channeled to the teachers, lecturers and doctors,” he said.
The statement is in direct opposition to campaign promises Olmert made prior to the elections, when he refused to negotiate with Abbas because he did not represent the entire Hamas-led PA government.
“I consider Mahmoud Abbas as a partner but he is not an independent leader,” said Olmert at the meeting with Douste-Blazy, in an echo of his pre-election stance. “When the Palestinian Authority is being controlled by Hamas, diplomatic talks cannot take place,” he reiterated.
However, Olmert softened his position at the same time, telling the French foreign minister that he would meet with Abbas if he made a commitment to fight PA terror aimed at Israel.
“Abbas needs to start to work to fulfill the commitments the Palestinians took upon themselves as part of the Road Map,” he said. Olmert has been cagey about whether he would agree to meet with Abbas, despite pressure from international sources for him to do so.
Despite his new willingness to meet with Abbas to discuss the options for renewed negotiations, Olmert warned that his flexibility would go only so far.
“We will do everything possible so there will be negotiations,” he told the French foreign minister. But he added, “It is important to Israel that France understands that contacts are conditional on Hamas accepting the Quartet’s demands.”
Those demands include formal recognition of Israel’s right to exist, disarming and renouncing terrorism, and upholding agreements signed by the previous PA government. Hamas has continued its refusal to comply with any of them.
For its part, France will not welcome any Hamas leaders, Douste-Blazy promised. “We will not give them entry permits, and we are pressuring other countries on this issue as well,” he said. “Hamas needs to change,” he emphasized. “The world’s position is not going to change, and does not have to change. I won’t meet a single one of them,” pledged the French minister.
The French minister pointedly warned, however, that the international community would not support any move to activate Olmert's unilateral withdrawal plan, regardless of whether or not the PA begins negotiations within the next year.
At a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Douste-Blazy said his country is opposed to “unilateral decisions” on permanent borders.
“It is unacceptable that an international border would be unilaterally established,” he declared after the two met in Jerusalem, underscoring France’s insistence on determining permanent borders through a diplomatic process only.
Olmert pledged to begin unilateral withdrawal from major swathes of Judea and Samaria, destroying more than 25 Jewish communities in the process, if the PA does not begin talks within the next six months. Three blocs would be retained, as well as the city of Jerusalem in his plan to set permanent borders within the next four years.
Douste-Blazy also discussed his country’s concern about the developing humanitarian crisis building up in the PA as a result of the economic drought brought on by Hamas’ unwillingness to meet the Quartet’s demands. Western nations have refused to transfer funds to the terrorist-led PA under the current conditions. Nonetheless, France – as well as a number of other countries, including Russia – has pressured Israel to provide humanitarian support for PA residents.
“France believes that we cannot let the Palestinian people feel they are being abandoned,” said Douste-Blazy. “If the Palestinian nation feels abandoned, it will lead to radicalization and extremism,” he said, adding that it would be counterproductive to the effort to use funding cuts to force Hamas to come to the negotiating table.
Russia has already begun to quietly transfer money directly to Abbas, stipulating the funds are to be used only for humanitarian purposes.
Douste-Blazy said France agreed with a suggestion made by Abbas when they met in Paris two weeks ago to create a special trust fund to pay for PA government workers’ salaries.
“We need to be sure, however, that the money is channeled to the teachers, lecturers and doctors,” he said.