Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is pushing Israel to agree to enter into final status talks with the PA (Palestinian Authority). Egyptian media reports state Mubarak is calling upon Jerusalem to agree to address the major hurdles that remain in the way of an agreement with the PA, citing six issues, the future of Yerushalayim, refugee right of return, yishuvim, water issues, final border demarcation and security issues.

Mubarak told the al-Quwat al-Musallaha newspaper the current Israeli administration should agree to resume talks where they left off with the previous government, stating he has expressed this opinion with Israeli leaders with whom he remains in regular contact, adding there is no justification for entering into discussions from the beginning when previous Israeli governments agreed to certain issues and this should be honored by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his government.

He adds the Saudi plan of 2002 offers Israel a chance to have normalized relations with her Arab neighbors and Jerusalem must move in this direction, adding the treaty signed between his country and Israel in 1979, becoming the first Arab nation to sign such an agreement with Israel, should serve as a model for others.

The Saudi plan hailed by Mubarak calls upon Israel to return to the indefensible pre-1967 borders as well as finding a ‘just settlement’ for the millions of Arabs claiming a right-of-return after being expelled in 1948 with the establishment of the State of Israel.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)