Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that significant progress has been made in his negotiations with the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas.
"The discussions we are conducting with the Palestinian Authority are serious and very significant," Olmert said at a conference. "We are making real progress and understandings and agreements have been reached on very important matters, although not on all of them," BBC quoted Olmert as saying.
Olmert, however, did not elaborate on the points of agreement during his speech made on the eve of US President George Bush's arrival in Tel Aviv to take part in the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Jewish state.
Without mentioning the target date of January 2009 kept by US President George Bush, Olmert expressed hopes that a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine would be reached soon in accordance with a five-year-old internationally drafted peace treaty.
The proposed peace treaty calls for the establishment of peace in the region in a phased manner and was the basis of a US-hosted peace conference in November,
"This agreement will ensure the future of the state of Israel as a Jewish nation, with full American and international backing, and will be an Israeli-Palestinian agreement which will also receive the blessing of the Arab world," Olmert added.
Olmert is currently facing investigations over allegations that he had received money illegally from a Jewish US businessman named Morris "Moshe" Talansky before becoming the Prime Minister in 2006.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.