“IDF Radio” (Galei Zahal) cites Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat as saying, “Israel will unfreeze $100 million in frozen tax revenues.” He made the comment following last night’s meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen). They agreed that an additional $35 million will be released later for Palestinian hospitals in Jerusalem.
Erekat said Israel and the PA agreed to set up a joint committee for establishing criteria for the release of Palestinian prisoners. He added that the issue of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit was not raised at the meeting, in order to avoid disrupting Egypt’s mediation efforts for his release.
Olmert’s meeting with Abbas was delayed for months because disagreements over the issue of Palestinian prisoners and Shalit. Abbas met Olmert at his residence in Jerusalem for two hours. This was their first meeting in six months. The meeting was called businesslike, but no press releases were made afterwards. Erekat and former PA Prime Minister Ahmed Karia, who serves as Abbas’s spokesman and is responsible for negotiations within the PLO, also attended the meeting.
Olmert and Abbas also discussed removing IDF roadblocks in the West Bank, and the possibility that Israel will unfreeze tax revenues collected on behalf of the PA, which will be used for humanitarian purposes. They also discussed the cease-fire intended to halt the firing of kassam rockets from Gaza against Israel and Abbas’s statement two weeks ago about bringing forward elections to the Palestinian parliament.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on December 24, 2006
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