Barak offers new peace plan, Jerusalem delay

Barak offers new peace plan, Jerusalem delay
REUTERS

TEL AVIV, NOV 30: Prime Minister Ehud Barak proposed a peace deal on Thursday that would give Palestinians a state, annex Jewish settlements to Israel and delay negotiations on Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees for up to three years.

In an animated speech to Israeli editors that appeared to bethe launch of his bid for re-election next year, Barak said that in view of failed peace moves to date, he had been weighing a proposal to deal with security and borders.

Under such an agreement, Jewish settlement blocs wouldbecome part of Israel, while "we give the Palestinians alongside recognition of a Palestinian state another 10 percent of the (West Bank) area for contiguity so they don'T have to pass through so many checkpoints."

Under the proposal, which he called an "illustration", therewould be what he called "a wide security zone", adding that: "In such an agreement Jerusalem and the (Palestinian) right of return is delayed for a year or two or three."

"I think this...is a type of concept there is no reason forus not to consider, and there is no reason the Palestinians shouldn'T consider it," he said.