Epstein Secrets

Intifada left the implementation of the "roadmap" stalled. In 2007, during the last few months of his presidency, George W. Bush invited Israel and the Palestinian Authority, among a backdrop of other Arab nations, to a peace conference in Maryland. Hamas, which had just taken control of the Gaza EFTA_R1_00441004 EFTA

weeks after the roadmap was proposed, Yossi Beilin, one of the Israeli negotiators of the Oslo accords and former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo agreed upon an unofficial plan in Oslo that would flip the roadmap, whereby borders would be discussed before peace. Neither plan was implemented

rusted, diminishing even further the European Union's role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Second, such a move could only undermine Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, which view Hamas as an enemy to be defeated rather than as a genuine partner. Third, peace talks would themselves be impossible if Hamas were part

ns, Saeb Erekat, had a heart attack this spring, and the other old negotiating hands -- former Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo -- are out of favor. All this leaves Abbas simply muddling through, declaring that he will go back to the United Nations, hold elections, or insis

sident made further US involvement in peace negotiations contingent upon Arafat’s removal from power, and the implementation of democratic reforms in the Palestinian Authority’s political structure. This was consist- ent with Prime Minister Sharon’s policies. At this time, parts of the Palestinian leadership either passively

tiating process, civil society groups tried to take the initiative. One example of several is the Geneva Accords of December 2003 led by PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo and former Israeli Minister Yossi Beilin. The stalemate in the process continued until Ehud Olmert’s election as Prime Minister in 2006. Through int