MOSCOW: Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders have agreed “in principle” to meet in Moscow for talks in what the Russians hope will relaunch the Mideast peace process after a more than two-year break.
But the wide gaps between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas left it uncertain if or when the meeting will take place, and raised doubts about whether they would make any progress if they do get together.
In another twist, an Israeli TV station reported that a document discovered by two Israeli researchers indicated that Abbas had worked for the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, while living in Syria in the early 1980s. The professors said they were coming forward with the information to discredit Moscow as an honest broker in peace talks.
After years of taking a back seat to the U.S. in Mideast diplomacy, Russia has increasingly sought to take a leadership role in the region. It has developed close ties with Iran and sent fighter jets to Syria to back President Bashar Assad in his war against rebel groups.
In Washington, a spokesman said the U.S. State Department is following the Russian efforts closely and would “be supportive” of any kind of effort to bring the parties together.
Thursday’s announcement in Moscow indicates that Russia is pushing forward with its attempt to become a peace broker after a setback earlier in the week. On Tuesday, Abbas said that a meeting scheduled in Moscow this week had been delayed at Israel’s request.
While bringing the men together would represent an accomplishment for Moscow, a diplomatic breakthrough seems unlikely.
Abbas and Netanyahu remain far apart on key issues, and their differences have prevented meaningful talks since Netanyahu took office in 2009. The last round of peace talks broke down 2½ years ago, with no progress reported during months of U.S.-brokered negotiations.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Abbas and Netanyahu had accepted an invitation to meet in the Russian capital, but a date has not been set yet. There also was no word on whether the two had settled on an agenda for the meeting — the key stumbling block in preparations.
“The most important thing is to pick the right timing,” Zakharova told reporters.
Abbas and Netanyahu exchanged a brief handshake last year at a global climate change conference in Paris but have not held a public working meeting since 2010.
Before returning to talks, the Palestinian leader has demanded that Israel halt settlement construction on occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians and carry out a prisoner release that was promised during the last round of talks.
Netanyahu has rejected the terms and said the meeting should take place without conditions.
“If the Palestinian Authority can say with one voice that they are willing to meet without preconditions, then Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet President Abbas,” said the Israeli leader’s spokesman, David Keyes.