[New York Sun] Eli Lake - The Saudi initiative that would divide Jerusalem, a proposal which was endorsed by the Arab League in 2002, is expected to be a central point of discussion at an Arab League summit in Riyadh at the end of the month. After meeting Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas, Secretary of State Rice will fly to Egypt to meet her Egyptian, Jordanian, Saudi, and United Arab Emirates counterparts to discuss, one State Department official said, "strategies for marketing the Arab peace offer." A State Department official said one of the goals of the meeting will be to discuss the kinds of steps they can take to persuade Israel to start new negotiations. Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Dore Gold said: "Those who believe that redividing Jerusalem by advancing the Saudi plan will lower the flames of radical Islamic rage have absolutely no idea of what they are dealing with. Any proposal to give the Hamas government the hope of taking over Jerusalem will shoot up jihadism in the region by giving new hope to al-Qaeda affiliates that Jerusalem is within their grasp."
2007-03-23 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive