(Ha'aretz) Barak Ravid - A stormy meeting between American envoy Martin Indyk and the Israeli and Palestinian chief negotiators ended in failure early Thursday, sources told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an. The sources described the meeting as a "fierce political battle" and said that Indyk was unable to cool the air and stop the two sides from clashing. In response to Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat's declaration that their team was representing the occupied Palestinian state recognized by the UN, the Israeli side reportedly threatened the Palestinians with unprecedented sanctions. Erekat also threatened that should the situation escalate, the Palestinians would seek to prosecute Israel for war crimes in the international arena. An Israeli official briefed on the meeting added that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who is leading the Israeli team, angrily asked the Palestinians why they had appealed to join the international conventions only hours before the Israeli cabinet was to meet to approve the prisoner release.
2014-04-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive