Mideast talks could ‘resume’ July 30

WEST BANK – Agence France-Presse

Middle East peace talks could restart on July 30 in Washington, Israel’s Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom said July 25, but stressed he was not sure.
 
“We hope talks will begin next week, possibly on Tuesday [July 30], but this hasn’t been decided 100 percent,” he told a news conference in the West Bank city of Jericho at the inauguration of an industrial park. “If there’s no change at the last minute... I think there’s a good chance talks can resume next week in Washington,” he said.
 
Separately quoted by public radio, Shalom said he did not imagine a “scenario where the Palestinians refused to restart talks. That would be an affront to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.”
 
Kerry announced last week that Israel and the Palestinians would begin negotiating in Washington, after a three-year halt in direct talks.
 
On July 22, the White House said the preliminary discussions with the Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat and his counterpart Israeli Justice minister Tzipi Livni could begin in the next few weeks, expressing “cautious optimism” over the chances of their success.

Israeli public radio, meanwhile, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to “urgently” introduce a bill July 21 that would require holding a referendum on any future peace deal with the Palestinians. The public vote would also decide on any unilateral retreat from the occupied West Bank.