Recognizing Israel thorny sticking point

JERUSALEM, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The senior Palestinian negotiator for the upcoming Mideast peace talks appears to be moving a bit closer to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.

While Saeb Erekat acknowledged in an interview that a majority of Israelis are Jews, he stopped short of calling Israel a Jewish state, The Jerusalem Post reported Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called for explicit recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and has stated several times in recent days that there can be no negotiations with Palestinians unless they acknowledge the fact.

In what appeared to be a softening of his position, Erekat told The Jerusalem Post it is up to Israel to decide what to call itself.

"Like the Islamic Republic of Iran, if you change your name to 'the Jewish state of Israel,' we'll call you that," Erekat said.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams are working on drafting a joint statement for the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference in Annapolis, Md., Ynetnews reported.