Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told a Palestinian daily in an interview published Thursday that Israel could not accept a 2002 Arab League peace initiative in its current formulation.
In her first interview, Livni told Al-Ayyam newspaper that Israel's stance on the new Palestinian unity government would depend on its diplomatic plan, and the extent to which it meets the three demands of the international community, namely, recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by previously signed peace agreements.
"We are demanding that the government meet these three conditions," she stressed. Asked if Israel is ready to work with ministers who are not members of Hamas, Livni said: "We consider the cabinet as one body."
Meanwhile, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Wednesday he expects the new unity government to be formed next month as scheduled. "We are working on forming a (unity) government and this will happen before the five-week deadline," Abbas said after talks with Jordanian Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit, state-run Petra news agency reported.
"There is a lot of work to be done until then in order to present to the world the government in the best way," Abbas said.
