Abbas welcomes statement, but says implementation by Israel is the real test.
By ASSOCIATED PRESSBan Ki-moon & Lavrov 311(photo credit: Associated Press)
Top international diplomats on Friday called on Israel and the Palestinians to return to peace negotiations with a goal of reaching a final settlement that would create an independent Palestinian state within 24 months.The statement further condemned "the decision by the government ofIsrael to advance planning for new housing units in east Jerusalem."Last week, during US Vice President Joe Biden's tour of the region, anIsraeli building an planning committee had announced that 6,000additional housing units would be built in Ramat Shlomo, a primarilyharedi neighborhood near Ramot and adjacent to the Shuafat refugee camp.The so-called Quartet peacemakers met in the Russian capital and issued a formal statement read by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the statement, but said the real test would be whether Israel would act according to the Quartet's demands.Joining Ban at the Moscow meeting were US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and the Quartet's special representative, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.Lavrov told a joint news conference that the Israelis and Palestinians should move first to indirect talks, followed by face-to-face negotiations. Those indirect talks were to have started last week but were stalled by reaction to Israel's announcement of new housing in east Jerusalem.Clinton said she expects to see Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Washington next week."We are all committed to the launching of proximity talks between the Israelis and Palestinians," Clinton told reporters.A spokesman for Netanyahu had no comment on the statement.George Mitchell, the US Mideast peace envoy, is to meet in coming days with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in hopes of getting the process restarted. Mitchell attended Friday's talks.
The fragile situation is Gaza was one of the key focuses of the Quartet's formal statement. The diplomats expressed concern at the humanitarian situation there.The Israeli air force responded early Friday to a rocket attack by Gaza terrorists the day before, in which a Thai worker was killed, by striking six targets in southern Gaza. The Israeli military identified the targets as three weapons-smuggling tunnels; two other tunnels that militants were digging to infiltrate into Israel; and a weapons workshop. No injuries were reported.The rocket and the Israeli retaliation raised the specter of further conflagration at a time of renewed international focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.In a nod to Israeli security concerns, the group condemned the rocket attack and called for calm to be respected.They also took "positive note" that the Israeli government recently endorsed a number of United Nations civilian recovery projects in Gaza, including a stalled housing project.The group also called for the immediate release of captured IDF soldierSt.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who has been held by Gaza's Hamas rulers formore than three years.After Israel's announcement last week of new Jewish housing inJerusalem, the Quartet issued a statement of condemnation but did notformally meet to discuss the matter. "Unilateral actions taken byeither party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will notbe recognized by the international community," it said in the March 12statement.The Quartet has consistently called for Israel to restrain settlement activity.In a formal statement after its last meeting, in September 2009, theQuartet urged Israel to freeze all settlement activity and to "refrainfrom provocative actions" in east Jerusalem. It also called on thePalestinian Authority to continue to make efforts to improve law andorder, to fight violent extremism and to end incitement.Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.
