Friday, July 19, 2013

Official: Israel Agrees to Have 1967 Border Talks; Palestinians to Recognize Israel as Jewish State

An Israeli official said yesterday that Israel has agreed to a proposed formula for new peace talks with the Palestinians under which the border of their future state would be along lines that existed before the 1967 Middle East war, but with agreed land swaps, the Reuters website reports today (July 19, 2013).

The official said that, were the Palestinians to accept the formula, it would be announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who would also describe the future Palestine as existing alongside a "Jewish state" of Israel.

It is believed that Kerry -- now in the region for his sixth time since March in an effort to revive peace talks that deadlocked in 2010 -- may be close to a breakthrough.

Israel has previously balked at agreeing to the 1967 borders as a basis for talks with Palestinians. But the latest proposal addresses a longstanding central demand made by Netanyahu that the Palestinians explicitly recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

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