by Chris Perver

Israeli President Shimon Peres has held secretive talks with Palestinian leaders over the past few weeks in an effort to break the impasse in the Middle East peace process, according to a report by the Israeli Haaretz newspaper. The Israeli government has refused to comment on the Haaretz report, but Palestinian officials have confirmed that the president has met with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat a number of times, and that the two men poured over maps of Israel and east Jerusalem. Israeli presidents aren’t supposed to involve themselves in politics, but Shimon Peres has made no secret of his ambition to negotiate peace in the Middle East. After his resignation from party politics in 2005, Peres announced that he was planning to use his remaining years to push for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. But when President Moshe Katsav was forced to resign after allegations of rape, former Prime Minister Shimon Peres was the natural choice to replace him. And since becoming president, Peres has made numerous statements regarding the peace process, in favour of establishing a Palestinian state. While the Palestinians are refusing to recommence negotiations until Israel halts all ‘settlement activity’ in Judea, Samaria, and east Jerusalem, it should come as no surprise that Peres is holding secret talks with the Palestinians to try and reach an agreement, especially in light of the approaching September vote at the United Nations.