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| "All in favor, say 'Hey lady!'" |
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa urged Israel not to immediately submit its reservations to the initiative, as it had done so in 2002 when the plan was first proposed. The initiative offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war. It also calls for setting up a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and a solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Following the agreement to revive the plan, Moussa said that the Middle East was at a "critical junction. If we don't move forward we will witness an escalation (of violence) in the region."
In response to the Arab League's decision, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that the Saudi initiative was the card with which to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nevertheless, Peretz went on to say that Israel would not agree to the clause in the plan regarding the right of return for Palestinian refugees, Army Radio reported. "Israel must present a government initiative which should be discussed at the next conference in Riyadh and should include a final settlement proposal," added the defense minister.
In contrast, MK Silvan Shalom (Likud) said that the Arab leaders had been thrown off course by extremists. "They have adopted an illogical plan. It is impractical and unreasonable." said Shalom.
Moussa rejected amending the peace offer, saying, "They tell us to amend it, but we tell them to accept it first, then we can sit down at the negotiating table." But he said the Arabs must "do more to convince" the Israelis on the offer.