On Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister's office issued a statement that Israeli negotiator "Yitzhak Molcho and a Palestinian representative will travel to Washington next week with the aim of advancing the diplomatic process". Ramallah said they were unaware that any Palestinian official was going to the US.
On the eve of the departure to hear “new American ideas”, Palestinian top negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday that the peace talks with the Israeli government have ended and it is time for his side to make decisions. He reiterated Ramallah's position that there will be no negotiations until Israel agrees to halt all construction activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem:
The government of Binyamin Netanyahu is trying to scrap all what was agreed upon in previous sessions of negotiations. They want to take us back to point zero.
Erekat said that he would convey Ramallah's intention to seek a UN Security Council resolution condemning construction in the settlements and calling for protection for the Palestinians.
The negotiator added that some US and Israeli officials, including Dennis Ross and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, had tried to launch clandestine channels for negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. [Editor: This report on secret channels has been confirmed by The Jerusalem Post.] He said Palestinians would not participate in clandestine talks in Washington or in the region:
We made it clear to the Israelis and the Americans that there will be no secret negotiations with Israel. Ross was in the region last week but he didn’t meet with any Palestinian official. Nor did he relay any message to the Palestinians regarding the resumption of the peace talks.
Will Erekat be any more optimistic after the open talks --- which may or may not include a Palestinian representative --- in the US?