Next month’s U.S.-sponsored peace parley will not result in any major breakthroughs, Ehud Olmert said.
The Israeli prime minister prior to Sunday’s Cabinet meeting attempted to lower expectations about the upcoming conference on Palestinian statehood.
Two of Olmert’s coalition partners, the fervently religious Shas and the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu, have threatened to quit the government if core issues such as Jerusalem, refugees and borders are discussed at the conference in Annapolis, Md.
Olmert downplayed the U.S.-sponsored conference, calling it a chance for the international community to support the movement toward a Palestinian state. Negotiations on Palestinian statehood are set to begin after the conference.
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