Israel’s lead negotiator in peace talks with the Palestinian Authority urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to replace the religious-nationalist Bayit Yehudi party with the Labor Party so as to boost the chances of a diplomatic breakthrough.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni told Israel Radio on Tuesday that the current composition of Netanyahu’s governing coalition complicates efforts to make progress with the Palestinians.
“Bayit Yehudi opposes the two-state solution, and this is very problematic within the context of negotiations,” Livni told Israel Radio. Bringing in the center-left Labor Party would give Netanyahu the political support and flexibility to make the necessary decisions to push the peace process forward, according to Livni.
The negotiations - which were resumed earlier this month in a rancorous atmosphere over Israel’s announcement of new construction beyond the 1967 Green Line and the Palestinians’ celebratory welcoming of prisoners released by Israel – are due to continue, though Livni refused to say when or where they will take place.
Earlier this week, Palestinian officials in Ramallah accused the US administration of deceiving and misinforming the PA with regards to Israeli construction in disputed areas of Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The officials told the London- based Al-Hayat newspaper that they were concerned about the US administration’s role in the peace talks with Israel – renewed last month after a three-year standoff – especially its position on plans to build homes in settlements and east Jerusalem neighborhoods.