PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has sent a letter to the Quartet (US, EU, Russia, UN) saying the end of the newly-announced direct talks with Israel will come quickly if Israel resumes construction.
Israel announced a ten-month freeze on all new Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria nine months ago, with the hope and understanding that this would bring the Palestinian Authority to the negotiating table. Nine months of stagnation thereupon passed over Judea and Samaria while the PA refused to agree to direct talks; now, ironically, as the freeze is about to expire, the PA agrees to the talks, while threatening to end them if the freeze ends.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other members of his government have emphasized repeatedly that the freeze must and will end when it expires on Sept. 26.
However, Netanyahu also said at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, “Achieving an agreement with the Palestinians is hard, but possible… I intend to surprise all the critics and skeptics.”
It had been expected in the nationalist camp that Abbas would pressure Israel regarding the freeze shortly before it expired. Israel National News reported two weeks ago that Danny Dayan, Secretary-General of the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria, said, “I suspect that right before the construction freeze ends six weeks from now, Abu Mazen will agree to direct talks on condition that the freeze be extended – and that will put Netanyahu in a very tight spot.”
The Americans, mediating the process, did not agree to the PA’s demand to make the talks conditional on an extension of the freeze. Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat acknowledged this on Sunday, but added that the Americans “allowed us to understand that if the direct talks are renewed, it would be easier to persuade Israel to extend the freeze.”
The construction freeze has caused damage on many fronts, including settlement, education, financial – both public and private – and more.