Quote: "Livni said she would meet again in a few weeks with her Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts in Israel "as part of this process between Israel and the representatives of the Arab League." Thursday's meeting was the first high-level talks between Israel and the Arab world on the Arab League initiative calling for an exchange of land for peace. Livni said the meeting was preparation for the "historic and important" talks between Israeli and Arab League representatives on the initiative.

The EU has recently expressed its support for the Arab League initiative, and is planning to meet representatives from the organization in Brussels on May 14th. Olmert had expressed optimism after the Saudi plan was revived in Riyadh in March, but has rejected the idea of any Palestinian "right of return". It will be interesting to see what becomes of these meetings. It certainly would be historic for Arab leaders to set foot in Israel, but whether they get what it is they are looking for is another matter entirely. As the Bible states, I don't think Israel can negotiate with the Arab League on their own. I think it will take an outside mediator to "strengthen the covenant", and to ensure that parties like Hamas and Hizbullah comply.

Source Jerusalem Post