Israel rejects US peace formula

Jerusalem, May 8: Israel today again rejected a United States-backed compromise for breaking a 14-month-old peace deadlock with the Palestin...

Jerusalem, May 8: Israel today again rejected a United States-backed compromise for breaking a 14-month-old peace deadlock with the Palestinians.

8220;The very proposals being spoken of 8212; a scope of 13 per cent of redeployment as they are being presented 8212; are not acceptable to the Government of Israel for the very reason that it doesn8217;t fall in line with the security needs of the State of Israel,8221; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu8217;s senior adviser Danny Navehg told Israel Radio.

US envoy Dennis Ross was due back in Israel today to try to coax Netanyahu into accepting a deal that the Israeli leader could seal with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the White House on Monday.

Washington expects Israel to hand over 13 per cent more of the West Bank to Palestinian rule as part of a package to launch 8220;final status8221; talks on tough issues such as borders, Jerusalem, Jewish settlements and Palestinian refugees.

Netanyahu8217;s aide David Bar-Illan told Reuters yesterday it was 8220;very unlikely8221; the primeminister would go to Washington.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the United States denied that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had issued an ultimatum to Isreal hours after Netanyahu refused to attend the peace summit.

Claiming the Clinton administration was the best friend Isreal had in 50 years, state department spokesman James Foley claimed yesterday Albright had not given any ultimatum at all that the Jewish state should be prepared to give up 13.1 per cent of west bank territory to the Palestinians as the price of a meeting with President Clinton.

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Foley said Albright had since spoken over phone to Netanyahu himself as well as the American Jewish leaders and would send Dennis Ross to meet the Israeli Prime Minister as desired by him.