Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom was appointed on Tueday to be the Israeli representative for talks with the Palestinian Authority, but the PA quickly issued a statement saying the move is irrelevant because they don’t believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is interested in peace. PA officials also reiterated their own set of conditions for the resumption of talks, including the end of building over the Green Line, the return to 1967 borders and the release of prisoners in Israeli jails. Netanyahu, as recently as a speech in the Knesset this week, declared that Israel’s right to build in eastern Jerusalem was based on “3,000 years of history that date back to the Bible.” Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesman for the PA president’s office, responded by declaring “There will be no peace and stability in the Middle East without east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.” Read More
