The Saudi Foreign Minister has told journalists he will maintain his refusal to shake hands with the Israeli delegation at the Annapolis event today.
Haaretz is reporting that the Saudi FM, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said that “We are not here for theater. We are here for the serious business of making peace. We are not here to give an impression that everything is normal … We will not do anything that will divert from the seriousness of the occasion, [such as] shaking hands to give an impression of something that is not there,” he said. However, Haaretz said, “Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suggested he would not be offended by the lack of handshake, nor would he push the issue. ‘I won’t extend my hand to whoever isn’t ready to shake the hand of the people of Israel’, Olmert said, referring to the Saudi foreign minister. ‘But I am happy he is here’.” This Haaretz story is posted here.
However, another Haaretz report said that “Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday that he expects Arab states to open consular offices in Israel following the Annapolis summit. Olmert told Ban that ‘every Arab or Muslim state which participates in the Annapolis summit should demonstrate its support of the process in this way’ … Olmert told Ban that he does not expect immediate normalization of Israeli-Arab relations, but nonetheless expects some good will gestures, such as opening consular offices. Olmert asked Ban to convey his message to Arab leaders and exert his leverage to facilitate the idea”. This Haaretz report is posted here.