U.S. envoy Dennis Ross pushed forward Friday with efforts to restart the stalled Mideast peace process, and high-level Israeli and Palestinian security officials met for the first time in weeks. But the two sides remained far apart on returning to the negotiating table.
Israeli and Palestinian security officials met in Tel Aviv in the presence of American representatives, a condition imposed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Ross held talks with Arafat for the second time in two days.Ross has been shuttling between Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since arriving in the region on Wednesday.
After meeting with Arafat late Friday night in Ramallah, in the West Bank, Ross was circumspect.
"We are going back and forth between the two parties to look at all the possibilities and to find ways to overcome the differences," he said. "We still have work to do, but there is a genuine interest on both sides to find solutions."
Arafat spokesman Marwan Kanafani told reporters, "We did not receive from Mr. Ross any commitments and no clear initiatives or solid ideas. He brought ideas from the Israelis, and he listened to us. The president made it very clear once again that there is no way that the Palestinians will return to the negotiations while settlements still continue in the West Bank and in Jeru-salem."
Peace talks and security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in March, after Israel began building a housing project for Jews on captured Arab land in Jerusalem.
Arafat insists Israel stop expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and halt construction of the housing project. Netanyahu has refused, and his Cabinet issued a statement Friday saying Netanyahu's government was acting "to strengthen settlements."
In the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian youths hurled rocks, gasoline bombs and empty bottles at Israeli soldiers, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. Five Palestinian protesters and one Israeli soldier were injured in the clashes. Palestinian police detained two demonstrators.
While the peace process is in crisis, Arafat has agreed to only occasional meetings of the sides' security chiefs, and only in the presence of an American official.