Netanyahu takes softer line on Palestinian talks

ISRAELI opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday pledged to continue negotiations with the Palestinians if he wins February elections, backing away from earlier hints he would abandon peace talks.

But Netanyahu gave no indication he would make significant concessions.

Netanyahu refuses to discuss the future of the disputed city of Jerusalem, one of the “core issues” in negotiations for the past year. On Sunday, international Mideast mediators reaffirmed this framework, even as Netanyahu’s office said he did not. Netanyahu’s position on other key issues also falls far short of Palestinian and international demands.

Speaking to reporters after meeting international peace envoy Tony Blair, Netanyahu said that if his Likud party returns to power in February elections, he would emphasise efforts to boost the ailing Palestinian economy but would not halt political talks.

A day earlier, his office said there was no point continuing the talks. The talks call on Israel and the Palestinians to resolve all outstanding issues between them, including the conflicting claims to Jerusalem and a final border between Israel and a future Palestinian state.

Netanyahu gave few details on his vision for peace. But in a recent speech to parliament, he said Israel would have to retain all of Jerusalem and chunks of the West Bank claimed by the Palestinians. In the West Bank, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said if Netanyahu wins, “we want to test these statements ... to see if he is serious or just manoeuvring.”

Polls currently place Likud and foreign minister Tzipi Livni’s centrist Kadima neck and neck ahead of the Februsry 10 vote. Israel is holding the election, a year and a half ahead of schedule, because a corruption scandal is driving current prime minister Ehud Olmert from office.

Livni has been leading Israel’s negotiations for the past year and has acknowledged that Israel will have to make tough concessions for peace.