Israel, Palestinians to Renew Peace Negotiations TuesdayIsrael will renew negotiations with the Palestinians on Tuesday, Israel Radio reported on Monday, January 15.Israel froze the scheduled talks with Palestinian officials for one day in protest over the killing of a Jewish settler in Gaza Strip Sunday night, the radio said. The Israeli negotiating team will be headed by Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and the Palestinian team by Legislative Council Speaker Ahmed Qurei. The Israelis and Palestinians are focusing on reaching an agreement to summarize the progress in the peace talks before US President Bill Clinton leaves office on January 20, or the Israeli prime ministerial election on February 6. Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was trailing in public opinion polls behind right-wing opposition Likud leader Ariel Sharon, was making intensive efforts to achieve some results on the peace process to increase chances for re-election. The killing of the settler dampened again the hopes of making any breakthrough in the peace talks, though some analysts believe that the two sides will continue talks until the prime ministerial election, as an effort to prevent the situation from deteriorating. The meeting between Israeli and Palestinian security officers, however, will be held Monday night as scheduled to focus on measures to quell violence. |
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