[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: How is negotiating a border not negotiating over
Jerusalem?

And why is it that the reporters covering this story don't seem to
understand this?]

Olmert says borders issue will be solved first
By Barak Ravid and Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz Correspondents and AP Last
update - 07:50 13/02/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/953689.html

BERLIN and WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says it is possible to
advance significantly the resolution of the issue of borders in negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in spite of a shared concern
by officials of both sides, and the United States, as to their ability to
realistically achieve a detailed agreement by the end of 2008.

The prime minister is convinced that the question of borders is the simplest
of the three "core issues" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the other
two being refugees and Jerusalem - and said that sufficient preparatory work
had been done for progress to be achieved.

"If we do not want to run straight into an impasse, it is best to begin
negotiating over other issues [not Jerusalem and the refugees] like
borders," Olmert told reporters in Berlin after completing a three-day
official visit to Germany.

"On this issue there is a set of previous understandings and international
backing, such as the letter of President Bush which mentioned concentrations
of population. All this offers a direction to the resolution of the issue of
borders," Olmert added.

Next week Olmert will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas, as part of their routine meetings overseeing the negotiations.

Olmert also told reporters that there is an agreement with the Palestinians
to delay talks on Jerusalem until the end of the negotiations.

To date it had only been clear that this was a view held by Israel and the
U.S. alone.

"The matter of Jerusalem is not first but last in terms of the order in
which the core issues will be discussed and there is agreement by all
parties involved in the negotiations," the prime minister said.

According to Olmert there are no delays in the talks between Israel and the
PA.

"There are regular talks between [Palestinian negotiator] Abu Ala [Ahmed
Qureia] and other parties, and this is necessary," Olmert said. "I hear that
there are expressions of satisfaction at the seriousness with which the
talks are progressing," he added.

But officials in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. seem to
agree that a detailed peace agreement is unlikely this year because of the
difficulties on the ground and the slow pace of negotiations.

A senior source in Washington told Haaretz Monday that efforts to coordinate
expectations had begun, but there had been no change of heart on the
ultimate goal of the process.

Among the obstacles slowing negotiations are the constant barrages of Qassam
rockets on Israel, the Palestinians' breach of the border wall at Rafah last
month and the subsequent chaos there, as well as the recent suicide bombing
in Dimona.

Vice Premier Haim Ramon said Tuesday that the talks with the Palestinians
aimed for an agreement of principles and not necessarily a detailed deal by
the end of the year.

"No one expects a detailed agreement by January 1, 2009," he said.

Olmert echoed his political ally Tuesday, saying that "from the very onset,
there was no commitment on the part of Israel and the Palestinians to reach
an agreement during 2008, instead there was talk about making effort, and
this is still being done."

Still, Olmert insisted that "there is no wish or desire to leave the
completion of the negotiations to a new American president."

President George Bush's second term in office ends on January 20, 2009.

"I don't see any Israeli interest in delaying the negotiations and I have
not heard any arguments calling for delaying by a year because this would
perhaps improve conditions," Olmert added.

However, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who visited Washington for meetings
that included Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, warned Monday that it was
time to demonstrate progress in the talks.

"Unless there is tangible progress in the period immediately ahead" on a
list of pledges made by Israel, "I think, honestly, it would require that we
begin to really call this for what it is," Fayyad said.

Fayyad said that his role was to ensure that the diplomatic negotiations
were carried out in parallel with progress in implementing the road map.

The Palestinian prime minister said that Israel was far from implementing
its part in the road map and complained of continued settlement activity,
"mostly around Jerusalem." He also said that not enough road blocks had been
lifted in the West Bank.

But Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads Israel's negotiating team,
warned Sunday that it would be impossible to reach an agreement as long as
Hamas militants control the Gaza Strip.

"There is no hope for any kind of peace or the vision of the Palestinian
state which includes the Gaza Strip without real change on the ground,"
Livni told The Associated Press.

"Annapolis took place in November. We are now in February 2008," Fayyad
said. "We need to begin to see progress, most certainly, in the hope that we
are going to be able to reach agreement in 2008, and I hope that will be
possible."

Merkel backs Israel on Gaza

The situation in the Gaza Strip and the continued rocket attacks against
Israeli communities was one of the issues Olmert discussed with Chancellor
Angela Merkel during his visit to Germany.

At a press conference following their meeting, Merkel backed Israel's
response to the Hamas rocket attacks and said that "the solution to the
suffering of the residents of Gaza is an end to the rocket attacks."

Merkel justified Israel's military operations in the Strip and said that "I
think that the fact that there is terrorism originating from Gaza raises
questions about how to respond and how to prevent Hamas from carrying this
out. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is difficult and we are trying to
help as much as possible but first the shooting against Israeli towns must
stop."