Israeli officials' leaks to the press indicate that Israel seeks to downplay the chances of renewed negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA), even as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attempts to get the talks restarted.
Senior diplomatic officials told Voice of Israel public radio that they doubt the U.S. will succeed in persuading the PA to return to negotiations, despite Kerry's resolute effort to do just that.
The sources said that the PA's demand to get a map of the final borders Israel wants to attain is unacceptable, and added that Israel will no grant the PA any far reaching concessions in return for resumption of negotiations.
The PA's "foreign minister," Riad al Maliki, said that Kerry has not yet presented any "groundbreaking" new ideas but is still hearing the sides and attempting to come up with a new approach.
Maariv quoted Israeli and western sources as saying that Israel decided to demand PA recognition of Israel as a Jewish state as a precondition for renewing talks, in order to get the PA to back off from its demands that Israel freeze construction in Judea and Samaria, and present a final borders map.