Peretz: Saudi peace plan could serve as basis for negotiations

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In his address to an academic conference at Tel Aviv University on Tuesady, Defense Minister Amir Peretz lauded the dormant Saudi peace initiative as a "basis for negotiations."

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"We could see the Saudi initiative as the basis for negotiation," he said, adding, "this does not mean that were are adopting the Saudi initiative, but it can serve as a basis," Peretz said.

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A number of students heckled Peretz during his speech, calling him "child killer," apparently in reference to the number of children killed during the recent war in Lebanon and in Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip. They held up signs reading, "Peretz promised education and funds-all we got were tanks and bodies" and "There is hunger in Gaza - stop the occupation now!"

The rotesters accused Peretz of having "promised a social revolution, but led Israel into another war sponsored by a racist government that is interested more in the Iranian threat and is abandoning the socio-economic threat." Demonstrators stood at the entrance to the auditorim where Peretz was scheduled to speak, in an effort to block others from entering.

Haaretz