Abbas warns "two-side solution" could fail if Israel refuses to change current policies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are expected to meet Tuesday in Jerusalem.

Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the "two-side solution" could fail if Israel refuses to change their current policies.This is the highest level of talks between the two parties since their negotiations stopped in September of 2010.

Palestinian media reported that Salam Fayyad, together with his PNA delegation, will deliver a letter from Mahmoud Abbas on terms for restarting long-stalled peace talks, including a requirement that Israel stops West Bank settlement construction. Abbas will also emphasize in his letter that if the "two-side solution" fails, the two countries have to solve the issue through a "one-sided solution".

For its part, Netanyahu will reply to Abbas' letter on terms for a resumption of negotiations. Netanyahu will likely suggest holding a direct meeting with Abbas in the near future.As for the meeting between Netanyahu and Fayyad, both groups don't have high expectations, and there is little anticipation for a breakthrough in the stalled talks.

"I haven't found any change in the Israeli government's stance, and the same with the Palestinian side. At present, there still exits a great divergence on critical issues for the negotiations between the two sides," said Alon Liel, an Israeli political commentator."The Palestinian position has been very clear, (regarding Israel) free settlement, open Jerusalem and commit yourself to the two sides solution.

We are ready, they don't care," said Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Palestinian scholar on international issues.According to analysts, Abbas's proposal to stop a "two-side solution" and turn to "one-side solution" will influence the peace process in the Middle East, and will even break the present deadlock."I think sometimes big shocks are helpful to the peaceful process in the Middle East. The present calmness is in fact quite precarious.

Many problems can become more and more complicated, and harder to solve," said Alon Liel.In September 2010, direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians resumed in Washington under the U.S. brokering. But the negotiations quickly collapsed as Israel refused to renew the moratorium on West Bank settlement construction. In January this year, low level officials from both sides held talks in Jordan, but failed to achieve progress on resuming the direct talks.

AP