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“Netanyahu Denies Agreeing to Peace Talks Based on ’67 Lines”
by Jpost   
July 19th, 2013
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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denied on Tuesday an official’s remarks that Israel had agreed to resume peace talks based on the borders of a Palestinian state being drawn along lines from before a 1967 Middle East war, and agreed land swaps.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said “the report is untrue,” calling Reuters with the statement after initially declining to comment on what the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official had said that, were the Palestinians to accept the formula, it would be announced byUS Secretary of State John Kerry now in Jordan, who would also describe the future Palestine as existing alongside a “Jewish state” of Israel.

Asked about Reuters’ initial report that Israel had agreed to the 1967 formula, a US official cautioned that “there is a great deal of inaccurate information out there right now and our focus is continuing to work through details with both parties”.

Speculation has been rife 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.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was conferring with Palestinian leaders on Thursday to decide whether to accept Kerry’s proposals for renewing talks with Israel.

Kerry said on Wednesday after talks with Abbas in neighboring Jordan that gaps between the sides had “very significantly” narrowed. An Arab League committee endorsed Kerry’s proposals for resuming peace talks, saying they “provide the ground and a suitable environment to start negotiations”.

Kerry is reportedly set to officially announce the resumption of the peace process before leaving Amman on Friday morning, London-based Al-Hayat reported.

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