PM questions Israeli control of some east J'lem neighborhoods

As Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams met to work on a joint declaration ahead of a US-sponsored Middle Peace parley scheduled to take place in November, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday raised questions about Israel's control of Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. This was the first time he has openly signaled readiness to share control of the city with the Palestinians.
In a speech dedicated to the memory of Rehavam Ze'evi, a prominent right-wing parliamentarian who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists, Olmert noted that Israel has built a series of thriving Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, but signaled that Israel's control of Arab areas was unnecessary.
"Was it necessary to also join the Shuafat refugee camp, Sawakra, Walaje and other villages and define them as part of Jerusalem?" he asked. "With that, I must confess it is possible to ask legitimate questions."
Earlier, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that US President George W. Bush has decided to make ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "one of the highest priorities of his administration."
An international peace conference expected to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, in the fall has to be serious and substantive, Rice said at a press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"We frankly have better things to do than invite people to Annapolis for a photo op," she said.
Israelis and Palestinians, Rice observed, are making their "most serious effort" in years to resolve the conflict.
"Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state," she added.
Abbas said he hoped the Annapolis parley would launch peace talks with a deadline for completion, and also said he has asked for US help in halting Israeli settlement expansion and construction of Israel's security barrier.
Abbas expressed confidence that Israelis and Palestinians could reach a joint declaration of principles ahead of the conference.
"No doubt that before we go to Washington [the conference], the document will be ready," he said. "The negotiations should not be open-ended, but subject to a certain time period."