Israel and the Palestinians have held their highest-level meeting since June 2005 at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East. Both sides said the meeting between Tzipi Livni, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, was the first of more to come. Tzipi Livni also announced that Israel would release a part of the frozen tax revenue due to the Palestinians.
Abbas and Livni both called on the Hamas-led Palestinian government to recognize Israel’s right to exist, to renounce violence and to recognize international peace agreements of their predecessors as a crucial step towards continuing the peace process.
Saeb Erekat, Head of PLO Negotiations Affairs Department of the Palestinian Territories, urged the international community to help ease the crisis facing the Palestinians.
Meanwhile Munib Masri, Chairman, PADICO (Palestinian Territories), unveiled a new private sector initiative to push for a Palestinian government of national unity. “The private sector took its place to say we want to be part of this process and have a national unity government which could be the answer to the wishes of the Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.
