Netanyahu preaches to his Cabinet: Think outside the box

Creative thinking is the key to the success of the peace process and the progress of the direct talks, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the cabinet meeting on Sunday. Briefing ministers on his trip to Washington for the launch of the direct talks, he said that the resolution of the complex issues at hand would require Israel to learn lessons from the decisions made in the past, and to think "outside the box."

The prime minister praised fellow Egyptian President Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II for their involvement in the process, expressing the hope that other Arab nations would follow suit. "Even if there are important countries in the Arab world that have yet to line up behind the peace process," he said, "this is the time to try and complete a peace settlement between us and the Palestinians and to expand it into a broader cycle of peace."

Netanyahu told the cabinet that he had held a "long, private meeting" with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and that he hoped the conversation in Washington was the beginning of a "direct, continuous and reliable link." Addressing the issue of the settlement freeze due to expire on September 26, Netanyahu reiterated that no decisions had been made.

The prime minister declared that dovish Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Dan Meridor's comments regarding building in the settlements were strictly Meridor's opinion only, and did not represent the government's official position on the issue. Meridor had said that regular construction should continue only in the settlement blocks that are likely to be annexed to Israel as part of any future agreement with the Palestinians, while building in other settlements should be restricted to "natural growth."

Initial reactions from Thursday's Washington launch were positive as Palestinian sources reported a "180 degree" shift in attitude with the delegation feeling more optimistic, reportedly due to the US pressure on Israel to extend the construction moratorium, and the hope that negotiations will conclude within a year. Abbas reiterated today that a failure to extend the moratorium would result in a collapse of negotiations.