Israel is ready to begin direct negotiations with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday, adding that if the Palestinians were willing to open direct talks, Israel might turn over a key road in the north Jerusalem area.

The road – which connects Ateret and Neveh Tzuf – would remain under Israeli security control but be under Palestinian civil control. The move would be meant to enable traffic between Ramallah and the planned city of Rawabi.


“We are weighing relaxing traffic [restrictions] in parallel with the opening of negotiations,” the prime minister told the committee. He added, however, that no final decision had yet been made.

“This is one of the trust-building steps about which I spoke with the Americans,” he explained.


said, “knows that Israel is ready for and trying to arrive at negotiations.”

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“Security arrangements will be the first major section in any possible agreement with the Palestinians,” promised Netanyahu. “The security arrangements must stand in the event that there are changes to the political map of the Middle East, including the reopening of an eastern front similar to the one that developed prior to the fall of Saddam Hussein.”