Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that Israel and the Palestinians will not be able to achieve their declared goal of forging a peace deal by the end of 2008, citing conflicting stands on Jerusalem as the major obstacle. According to AFP, Olmert also conveyed that Arab neighborhoods in occupied east Jerusalem posed a danger to Israelis, hinting that Israel might want to cede control of these areas.
"Whoever thinks the basic pattern of life in Jerusalem can continue with 270,000 Arabs in east Jerusalem must take into account that there will be bulldozers, trucks and private cars, and no way of preventing terror attacks of this kind," Olmert was quoted as saying.
It should be mentioned that at an international conference in the U.S. last year, Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set a year-end target for reaching a final peace deal that would resolve the conflict. On Monday, Olmert said, however, this target was unrealistic because of disputes over Jerusalem.
"I don't believe that understandings that will include Jerusalem can be reached this year," the Israeli leader was quoted as saying. Differences on other key issues, such as the final borders of the Jewish and Palestinian states, and the future of Palestinian refugees, were not "dramatic," Olmert added.
On his part, Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said Olmert's remarks showed Israel had given up on its promise. "This is a clear violation of the Annapolis agreement," he said. "We still have six months, and that means Israel isn't serious about reaching an agreement according to Annapolis and Bush's vision."
