Hamas wants to block Mofaz meeting with Palestinian leadership

Hamas is urging Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz in Ramallah next week, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.

Hebrew newspapers reported on the planned meeting earlier Wednesday, but Palestinian officials had not confirmed it.

Unnamed Palestinian sources were said to be pessimistic about any such meeting producing results in any case. Although the Palestinians recognize that Mofaz is prepared to negotiate on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, the sources told Yedioth Ahronoth, his stubbornness over the question of Jerusalem and the return of refugees is a serious obstacle.

“We don’t expect a breakthrough,” a Palestinian official told Yedioth. “Israel knows the conditions we have to restart the peace talks, which include a halt on settlement construction and negotiations on the basis of 1967 borders. To our regret, the government that Mofaz has joined is acting against these principles.”

Mofaz has repeatedly called on Abbas to meet with him; a meeting reportedly planned for earlier this month between the two was pushed off by Abbas.

“Put aside the dispatches, put aside the letters, enough chatter and preconditions – come and talk peace! Come now,” Mofaz said earlier this month. “The Palestinians must know that our hand is extended in peace to those who are willing and able to decide. We will not have a better opportunity than this one.”

The Palestinian leader has refused to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until a settlement freeze is in place, among other demands.

Lower-level talks between the two sides have been held recently, though without much progress. An exchange of letters between Netanyahu and Abbas on restarting talks has also not borne fruit.

Mofaz and his Kadima party joined Netanyahu’s ruling coalition in May, leading to hopes among some that the wide unity government could find more leverage to conduct talks with the Palestinians.

Abbas recently told The Times of Israel that the new coalition could make peace “if it wanted to.”