MIDEAST: Israel's demand to be recognised as a Jewish state deepens disagreements ahead of U.S.-hosted Middle East peace conference

Deepening diplomatic disagreement ahead of an expected peace conference, Palestinian leaders disagreed over Israel's demand that Israel be recognised as a Jewish state. Addressing an anti-terror and criminal conference in Herzilya, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak stated the Jewish state's demands for an expected peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland in late November. "Nothing that we achieve in discussions will be implemented before the first stage of the road map is fulfilled. In other words, the stage that focuses on ending terror and dismantling terror infrastructure in Judea Sameria and Gaza," said Barak. "The entire discussion needs to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and needs to make clear that there is no right of return to israel but only to a future Palestinian state." Palestinian Chief Negotiator Ahmed Qurie publicly rebuffed Israel's demand that it be recognised as a Jewish state. "That is totally rejected there is no way we can accept this," Qurie told reporters during a news conference with European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The negotiators have been meeting regularly ahead of a conference on Palestinian statehood in Annapolis, Maryland in late November but have been struggling to narrow differences over the joint document. Both sides have said they want talks on Palestinian statehood and peace to follow the event. Solana outlined the plans for the event: "The conference will be two to two and a half days, has three elements: creating the political dynamic, to prepare the ground for a big economic event that would be a follow-up to the December donors' meeting, see some changes in the lives of the Palestinians," he told reporters.

ITN Source | November 13, 2007

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