Arabs Back Indirect Talks Between Palestinians

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CAIRO — Arab ministers on Saturday again endorsed staging indirect talks between Palestinians and Israelis, formally resurrecting an American proposal that collapsed last month after Israel announced plans to build new housing in East Jerusalem.

Arab ministers gathered late Saturday at the offices of the Arab League here at the request of the Palestinian leadership, which sought regional support before agreeing, again, to enter into indirect talks.

But while the Palestinians and the Arab ministers agreed to endorse jump-starting peace talks that have been stalled for more than a year, they did not give ground on the issue of settlements.

In a final statement, the ministers said the indirect talks would not become face-to-face negotiations unless Israel stopped all settlement building beyond the 1967 borders.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/world/middleeast/02arab.html?ref=world

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1. Israel's PM Welcomes Progress Toward Peace Talks

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's prime minister on Sunday welcomed Arab nations' endorsement of indirect, U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians, saying he is ready to restart negotiations ''at any time and at any place.''

Israeli and Palestinian officials said they expect the talks to begin by early next week, and one Israeli official said the dialogue would go beyond formalities and include preliminary discussions on ''core issues'' in the decades-long conflict.

Details on the exact timing and scope of the talks were still being finalized Sunday, a day after the 22-member Arab League gave the Palestinians the green light for negotiations.

Despite the signs of progress, violence broke out in the West Bank during a Palestinian protest against the separation barrier Israel is building in the area. Palestinian medics said four protesters were hit by rubber bullets fired by Israeli forces in Beit Jalla, a village just outside Jerusalem.


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/05/02/world/AP-ML-Israel-Palestinians.html?_r=1