Israeli, Palestinian leaders bicker over peace on Twitter

TV call by Mahmoud Abbas to resume negotiations kickstarts testy dialogue between Foreign Ministry, PLO department

By ToI Staff 6 April 2016, 2:04 am Edit
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas talks to Channel 2 in an interview aired on Thursday, March 31, 2016 (screen capture)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas talks to Channel 2 in an interview aired on Thursday, March 31, 2016 (screen capture)

Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been communicating on Twitter this past week, with tweets focused on possibly resuming stalled peace negotiations.

The exchange came after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last week issued a televised call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume peace talks.

“I heard President Abbas say that if I invite him to meet, he’ll come. So I’m inviting him. I’ve cleared my schedule,” Netanyahu tweeted on Monday via the Twitter account of the Prime Minister’s Office.

On Tuesday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry followed up, telling the Palestine Liberation Organization Negotiations Affairs Department that “the ball is in your court now!”

“Negotiate what?” replied the PLO department, publishing a second tweet quoting Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat: “For any negotiations to succeed, signed agreements have to be implemented: End settlement activity and release prisoners.” The account then followed up with “2-states on the 67′ border: We have welcomed efforts to have negotiations based on international law and UN resolutions.”

“So, is that a yes or just another excuse not to open a dialogue for peace?” the Foreign Ministry shot back Tuesday.

Abbas told Channel 2’s “Uvda” program last week that he was willing to meet the Israeli prime minister to reach a peace agreement.

“I still extend a hand to Mr. Netanyahu because I believe in peace. I believe that the people of Israel want peace and that the Palestinian people want peace,” Abbas said.

But Netanyahu said Monday that before peace talks, the first thing the two needed to discuss was ending Palestinian incitement against Israelis.

“My door is always open for those who want to pursue peace with Israel,” the prime minister said.

Israel has accused Abbas of failing to condemn the wave of Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces that erupted in mid-September, and says his PA hierarchy presides over incitement to violence against Israel.

The attacks, mostly stabbings but also shootings and car-ramming assaults, have killed 29 Israelis and four foreign nationals. Over the same time, at least 188 Palestinians have died by Israeli fire. Israel says most were attackers, and the rest died in clashes with security forces.

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