Bethlehem – Ma’an – US President Barack Obama’s administration is considering an Israeli proposal for the creation of a Palestinian state with “temporary borders” an Israeli newspaper said on Tuesday.
The plan also includes guarantees and a timetable for a final peace agreement that includes permanent borders and addresses other core issues including the fate of Jerusalem. The Haaretz report did not indicate what the “temporary borders” of the state would be. Palestinian officials have not commented on the report.
Haaretz reported that Israeli President Shimon Peres presented the plan to Obama’s Middle East Envoy, George Mitchell, as well as senior Palestinian officials. The Israeli leader has also discussed the proposal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with opposition leader MK Tzipi Livni.
“Sources close to Peres' initiative told Haaretz there is some skepticism both in Washington and in the Prime Minister's Bureau as to the probability that both the Palestinians and the Netanyahu government will embrace the plan,” the report goes on to state.
Sources close to Netanyahu also told the newspaper that there is no change he will accept the plan, which would require a withdrawal from most of the West Bank as an initial step.
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