Palestinians, Israelis push to renew talks

The body of Noor Abu Safi is carried by his friends at his funeral in Gaza City

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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met Saturday to clear the way for a resumption of peace talks that have been jolted by more than 11 weeks of violence that has at least 350 people dead.

It was the second such high-level meeting to take place this week.

Top Palestinian negotiators Saeb Erakat and Mohammed Dahlan met Saturday evening with Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Gilead Sher, a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, according to Ben-Ami's office.

VIDEO CNN's Jerrold Kessel interviews Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat (December 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Jerrold Kessel interviews Gilead Sher, senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak (December 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Jerrold Kessel has more on the rising death toll and the urgency to restart peace talks (December 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     RESOURCES In-Depth: Israel Election 2001     MESSAGE BOARD Mideast peace

Arafat spokesman Nabil Abu Rudieneh said that Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton had spoken by telephone about the next steps in the peace process.

"It could be a new attempt, and it could be the last attempt as well," Rudieneh said, although he stressed that it was "too early to talk about a summit."

"The Palestinians are ready," he said, "although it depends on the Israeli side."

News of the Saturday night meeting came at the end of a day that saw an emotional funeral in Gaza for 22-year-old Noor Abu Safi, one of five Palestinians who died on Friday. A sixth died on Saturday of wounds he received on Friday.

The Israelis said that Safi was shot and killed when he tried to stab an Israeli soldier at the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, and that a bomb was found on his body. The Palestinians had no comment on the incident.

At his funeral, Safi's body was carried through the streets of Gaza by thousands of Palestinians chanting "Death to Israel' and "Long live the gun."

Safi's death came just hours after Ben-Ami and Sher met with Arafat, Erakat and other Palestinian officials on Thursday in a surprise meeting that both sides said generated some optimism.

With the fast approach of Israeli elections and the inauguration of a new U.S. president, Palestinian and Israeli leaders are again looking for a solution that would finally bring peace to a region that has seen little in the last 50 years.

Erakat, the Palestinians' chief negotiator, told CNN that Thursday's talks were "contacts of preparations" for a coming summit.

The previous summit at Camp David broke apart in July when Barak and Arafat could not come to terms on some of the key issues separating them, despite the efforts of Clinton.

"If there are negotiations going on between Palestinians and Israelis, it would come in the form of a continuation of the Camp David summit, meaning bringing (together) President Arafat, Mr. Barak and President Clinton," Erakat said.

Erakat said that a renewal of the Camp David summit "could happen as soon as next week."

Senior Barak aide Sher would not comment on the possibility that talks could resume next week, but he said that "there certainly is some room for optimism," adding that some of the high hopes reported in the last 24 hours may have been premature.

"What my colleague Saeb Erakat said is quite accurate," Sher told CNN. "We are in the exploratory stage that will eventually lead to the resumption of the talks once violence and incitement have been reduced dramatically."

The Israelis have repeatedly said they would not negotiate until the Palestinians curb the violence. But the Palestinians say it is the Israelis who perpetuate the conflict.

Thursday's meeting was an effort to find common ground between the two sides.

"What we are doing now is making a joint effort to reduce the violence and create the conditions for the resumption of the negotiations," Ben-Ami said on Israeli television.

A settlement could benefit Barak, who is facing an early election that could come on February 6. He trails in the polls to two likely challengers -- Likud party chairman Ariel Sharon and former prime minister and Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who lost to Barak 18 months ago.

Barak resigned last week amid a Knesset push to force early elections for the entire parliament. By resigning, Barak forced an election only for his seat.

But before Israelis go to the polls, a chief proponent of Mideastern peace -- Democratic President Clinton -- is slated to relinquish power to Republican President-elect George W. Bush. Bush's January 20 inauguration will bring an entirely new administration to Washington.

Both Sher and Erakat indicated they would prefer to finalize a deal with Clinton.

Sher said that the change of administration would mean the parties would need to take time to study the "details of the peace process which are well-known to the current administration."

"It is in the interest of the parties involved to try and get something done before the 20th of January," he said.

Erakat said that he was certain a Bush administration would pursue a Mideast peace "with vigor," but added that Clinton had the advantage of eight years at work on the details.

"I must believe that over the next four to five weeks, we must exert maximum effort to ensure the participation of President Clinton," he said.

Peace in the Middle East has been an important goal in the Clinton administration, and he has pledged to do whatever he can to foster that peace in the days remaining him.

Officials are "exploring the possibility of direct discussions with both sides in Washington," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Friday.

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  • Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
  • Middle East Peace Process
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Knesset, The Israeli Parliament
Likud
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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Israel Defense Forces (In English and Hebrew)
Palestine Red Crescent Society (In English and Arabic)

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