Friend and Ally Update: “Saudis spurn Israel peace stance,” from BBC News, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Saudi Arabia has rejected calls by Israel for changes to be made to a Saudi-led plan for Middle East peace.
Israeli officials have recently expressed interest in the proposal, adopted by the Arab League in 2002, while voicing some reservations.
The plan calls for Israel’s withdrawal from land seized in 1967 in return for ties and a peace deal with Arab states.
But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal described preconditions raised by Israel as “ludicrous”.
“We only hear conditions from Israel about everything, but no acceptance,” Prince Saud told reporters during a visit to Riyadh by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
“You cannot have negotiations like that, you accept the proposals then you talk about this.
“This seems a ludicrous way of doing business,” he said.
No, what’s ludicrous is the idea that one must accept disadvantageous proposals as a precondition for negotiation.