国际英语新闻：Israel and Palestinians grapple over restarting talks

JERUSALEM, May 2 (Xinhua) -- As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are set to meet in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, Israelis and Palestinians are grappling over what restarting talks actually means.

"We're talking about a complex decision," Netanyahu spoke on Saturday night of the Arab League (AL) foreign ministers' call that day in the Egyptian capital suggesting the Palestinians renew negotiations.

However, Netanyahu cautioned, "Israel still awaits the official Palestinian announcement of their willingness to begin talks."

Israeli President Shimon Peres on Sunday morning said " proximity talks are clearly both necessary and within Israeli interests -- Israel wants an independent, successful and affluent Palestinian state," who made the comment during a meeting with Denmark's foreign minister.

Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians came to a halt in late 2008 with Israel's Cast Lead incursion into the Gaza Strip, and have not resumed since.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that negotiations would begin this week, and Israel hopes that Egypt will help get the Palestinians to re-engage with Israel. U.S. envoy George Mitchell is expected to arrive in the region this week, as well.

The AL on Saturday said in a statement it endorsed a resumption of indirect peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel while stressing a four-month deadline.

"I believe there will be good talks, with American and Egyptian intervention," an Israeli government minister from the left-wing Labor Party told Xinhua.

Palestinian leaders did not appear to share Israel's apparent enthusiasm towards prospective talks.

"I do not want to lose hope, and prefer to remain hopeful even though I detect many hurdles and despite the sense that in Israel there are people uninterested in peace. We still must try to walk this path until we find it," Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas told a West Bank newspaper on Saturday.

"If Israel builds one house in the West Bank, Palestinians will immediately stop the negotiations," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted by Israeli news service Ynet as saying.