Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again called on Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table. The Israeli prime minister is reportedly considering a number of confidence building measures which may entice the Palestinians to resume peace negotiations, potentially including the release of some Palestinian security prisoners and a partial freeze on construction in Jewish communities in the West Bank.

“Our goal is not just to enter and put a ‘V’ to show that we’ve begun negotiations,” he said, using the Hebrew vernacular for a check mark. “Our goal is to persist in the negotiations, to engage in them consistently over a serious period of time in order to try to grapple with all the issues and come to an agreement that resolves the fundamental issues in the conflict.”

Such a process “will require time and determination and a systematic approach,” Netanyahu added. “That’s our approach. I hope it’s theirs, too.”

Netanyahu’s statements come as Secretary of State John Kerry is preparing to make his fifth visit to the region since March with an eye on jumpstarting  talks, which Netanyahu pledged to continue “consistently over a serious period of time in order to try to grapple with all the issues and come to an agreement that resolves the fundamental issues in the conflict.”

For their part Palestinian officials are denying reports that Abbas is prepared to return to negotiations with Israel, and have taken to actively excluding Jewish journalists from attempting to cover Palestinian affairs:

Just last week, for example, a journalist who requested a meeting between Western journalists and a top Palestinian Authority official was told “to make sure there were no Jews or Israelis” among the visitors.

The official’s aide went on to explain: “We are sorry, but we do not meet with Jews or Israelis.”

Another Palestinian journalist who tried to arrange an interview with a Palestinian Authority official for a European colleague was turned down “because the man’s name indicates he is a Jew.”

In yet another recent incident, a Palestinian Authority ministry instructed its guards to “prevent Jewish reporters” from attending an event in Ramallah.

The substantive and symbolic stances are likely to fuel skepticism regarding the degree to which Palestinian leaders are committed to securing a two-state solution.

[Photo: RogDel / Wiki Commons]