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Quartet: Israel Showing Flexibility as Palestinian Recognition Bid Approaches
(Ha'aretz) Barak Ravid - In an effort to convince PA President Abbas to return to the negotiating table with Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed to show flexibility on a number of issues involving recognition of Israel as a Jewish state; the status of the June 4, 1967, borders and territorial swaps with a Palestinian state; and the time frame for the conclusion of negotiations. Nonetheless, Abbas rejected the new proposal which was presented to him by American Middle East envoys and Quartet representative Tony Blair. Blair, the former British prime minister, along with U.S. envoys Dennis Ross and David Hale, conducted intensive discussions last week with Netanyahu on a draft of a Quartet statement calling for the resumption of peace negotiations. The problem is not the Israeli prime minister, who has demonstrated a positive approach, but rather with Abbas, who has rejected every suggestion presented to him, a Blair associate said.