Arab League Agrees 'In Principle' to Direct Talks, But Abbas' 'Conditions' Remain

For all the breathless headlines coming out of today's Arab Summit meeting in Cairo, the casual reader could have been fooled that something of substance actually took place.

Instead, the Arab League agreed "in principle" to Palestinians entering into direct negotiations with Israel -- something Prime Minister Netanyahu has been urging for some time -- but left it up to the Palestinians to decide when those talks will begin.

In other words, direct talks could begin tomorrow or ... never.

According to the Associated Press:

The Arab foreign ministers endorsed the idea of direct negotiations, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani, but left the timing up to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has laid down several conditions.

And what are those conditions? They would include a commitment by Israel to stop all building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, plus a commitment -- before negotiations even begin -- that a final peace will mean an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 armistice lines.

Nevertheless, the United States said it was "encouraged" by the Arab League's statement and Netanyahu said he is ready to begin direct talks "in the next few days."

The ball, once again, is in Abbas' court.