Israel 'Welcomes' Quartet Call but Seeks Immediate Talks

Israel on Sunday welcomed a call from the international Quartet for peace talks to resume, saying it had some "concerns" but urging the Palestinians to begin negotiations "without delay."

"Israel welcomes the Quartet's call for direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions, as called for by both (U.S.) President (Barack) Obama and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu," a statement from the premier's office said.

"While Israel has some concerns, it will raise them at the appropriate time. Israel calls on the Palestinian Authority to do the same and to enter into direct negotiations without delay."

The statement was the first official reaction from the Israeli government to the call from the peacemaking Quartet on September 23 for the resumption of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The international grouping, made up of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States, urged the two sides to return to talks within a month, with the goal of reaching a deal before the end of 2012.

But the call was loosely worded, imposing no explicit preconditions or parameters for the talks and making reference to a string of previous peace proposals, speeches and United Nations resolutions.

With ample scope for interpretation, Israel and the Palestinians have taken widely different positions on what the Quartet meant.

Israel made clear in the Sunday statement that it saw the grouping as calling for negotiations without preconditions.

But the Palestinians say the documents and commitments referenced by the Quartet show that the grouping supports their insistence that talks be preceded by a freeze in settlement construction and clear parameters for negotiations.

Among the documents referenced is the 2003 "Road Map,” which called for a cessation of violence and a halt to Israeli settlement construction.

The Palestinians say the reference to the document is a sign that the Quartet expects Israel to halt Jewish construction in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, for talks to begin.

They say that the Quartet's reference to a May speech by Obama, which suggested using the pre-1967 lines as the basis for border discussions, indicates that negotiations should have clear parameters before they resume.