New probe against Olmert means no peace partner

The police investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - details of which cannot be published because of a gag order imposed on the case - means that Palestinians do not have a peace partner, a senior Palestinian official said yesterday.

It's clear to the Palestinian Authority that "right now there is no Israeli partner in talks on the permanent-status agreement, in light of the investigation of Olmert," the official told Haaretz. He said the PA realizes the allegations currently being investigated are more serious than previous probes, and is therefore concerned that peace talks could go into a deep freeze until the legal proceedings are completed.

"Our trouble is that we don't have a partner in Washington either," the official said about the American position on Israeli-Palestinian talks.

But it appears the peace talks were also beset by problems having nothing to do with the investigation.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, PA President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman, has released a statement saying that although Monday's meeting between Olmert and Abbas included an in-depth discussion on borders, there remain extensive gaps between the two sides. Haaretz