Riots Over Peretz Address

Peretz: Saudi peace plan could serve as basis for negotiations


Defense Minister Amir Peretz speaking at a conference at Tel Aviv University on Tuesday. (Dan Keinan)



October 31, 2006

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press

In his address to an academic conference at Tel Aviv University on Tuesady, Defense Minister Amir Peretz lauded the dormant Saudi peace initiative as a "basis for negotiations."

Although Peretz emphasized he was not endorsing the plan, but referring to its potential, he was the most senior Israeli official to bring it up for consideration.

"We could see the Saudi initiative as the basis for negotiation," he said, adding, "this does not mean that were are adopting the Saudi initiative, but it can serve as a basis," Peretz said.

The 2002 Saudi plan called for a comprehensive peace between Israel and the Arab world. However, Israel balked at its call for a full withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, including the West Bank and east Jerusalem.



Students protesting against Defense Minister Peretz at Tel Aviv University Tues. (Dan Keinan)

A number of students heckled Peretz during his speech, calling him "child killer," apparently in reference to the number of children killed during the recent war in Lebanon and in Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip.