Palestinians Reject Israeli Land Exchange Proposal
Ahmed Qurei, the chief Palestinian negotiator, stated on Saturday that the Palestinians have rejected an Israeli proposition to annex a portion of the West Bank in exchange for some of its own territory. Qurei went on to explain that the Israeli land was “…not an equal trade in size and quality.” The rejected offer comes amidst recent efforts to stimulate renewed peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials. Currently, the issue pertaining to the future of Jerusalem remains the single most contentious obstacle to negotiating some sort of reconciliation agreement. Israel additionally seeks to protect what it terms the “Jewish character of the state”, a position which entails little room for diplomatic resolution with regard to the millions of Palestinian refugees – unless and until each side seriously considers further steps to achieve the compromise that has thus far eluded the negotiations.
Paul Shapiro
