On October 21, Reuters reported that Qatar’s authorities agreed to write off the loan in the amount of $150 million to the State of Palestine.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared the government debt relief at the joint press-conference with witness of Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Minister Khalid Al Attiyah. The conference concerned mainstreaming the peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Kerry welcomed Qatar’s decision and expressed his hope that other Arab countries would follow the lead. However, the Secretary of State noted that no economic bailout can replace the diplomatic efforts aiming to achieve peace.
Despite Kerry’s statement about a new round of the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority has not met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so far, though the appointment was fixed on October 10. It was reported that Mahmoud Abbas agreed without any prior conditions to hold negotiations with Netanyahu in the nearest days.
The direct Palestinian-Israeli talks on the conflict settlement concerning the border line resumed in Washington in late June. This appointment between Palestine’s and Israel’s envoys was the first in the latest three years. On the whole, envoys from the both sides have held 13 appointments since that time.
At the start of the talks, it was supposed to come to a certain agreement in nine months. As it was expected, the resolution would rest on the border line settled before the Six-Day War of 1967. Besides, Israel should have offset Palestine a part of the Jordan Western bank’s area occupied by Jewish settlements. However, Israel’s authorities initially highlighted that concessions would be made only in case Israel’s nationals approve them in a referendum. Meanwhile, according to opinion polls the majority of Israeli citizens speak out against returning to the borders of 1967 and exchanging territory between Israel and Palestine.
