Israel Agrees to Return to Talks, Accepts Negotiator
Israel agreed to participate in a conference on Middle East refugees on Thursday after it was persuaded to accept the head of the Palestinian delegation as a negotiating partner.
But the conference ended with the delegates unable to reach consensus on key issues.
Further talks were set for next year in Norway.
Israel had walked out of the multilateral working group on refugees Wednesday, complaining that Mohammed Hallaj, director of the Washington-based Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, is a member of the Palestine National Council. The Israelis equate the council with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which they consider a terrorist organization.
But in a compromise worked out overnight by the Americans, Russians and Canadians, it was determined that Hallaj’s membership in the Palestine National Council has “lapsed.” That satisfied the Israelis, and they rejoined the talks on their final day.
The talks, which focus on the plight of an estimated 2.5 million Palestinian refugees, are being attended by 38 delegations from Europe, the Mideast, North Africa, the United States, Russia and Japan. Syria and Lebanon are boycotting the session.
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