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"Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
(HA´ARETZ NEWS) By Shmuel Rosner and Aluf Benn 08/14/08
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian
refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert´s office
said on Thursday.
"The prime minister never offered to absorb 20,000 refugees
in Israel. The prime minister again reiterates that under any
future agreement, there will not be any return of Palestinian
refugees to Israel in any number," Olmert´s office
said.
"The prime minister´s stance is that the establishment
of a Palestinian state is meant to provide an answer to the absorption
of Palestinian refugees. Those refugees who are not returned
to a Palestinian state will be dealt with by an international
force."
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is conducting parallel talks
with the Palestinians´ chief negotiator, Ahmed Qureia,
is opposed to Israel´s taking in any Palestinian refugees,
and also refuses accepting them on the basis of family reunification.
In her opinion, Israel must not compromise on letting in refugees,
because that would be interpreted as an opening to exercising
the "right of return." "It´s like in a thriller,
where you see the heroine open the door a crack and you know
that the man with the knife is going to come in and stab her,"
Livni told Bush.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is returning to the
region next week, and wants an Israeli-Palestinian agreement
- even a partial or watered-down one - before Bush´s tenure
ends. Olmert believes an agreement is still obtainable, and according
to political sources close to the talks, the sides have shown
more flexibility in recent weeks. (© Copyright 2008 Ha’aretz
08/14/08)
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