Israel welcomes progress toward new peace talks

JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister on Sunday welcomed Arab nations' endorsement of indirect, U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians, saying he is ready to restart negotiations "at any time and at any place."

Israeli and Palestinian officials said they expect the talks to begin by early next week, and one Israeli official said the dialogue would go beyond formalities and include preliminary discussions on "core issues" in the decades-long conflict.

Details on the exact timing and scope of the talks still were being finalized Sunday, a day after the 22-member Arab League gave the Palestinians the green light for negotiations.

Despite the signs of progress, violence broke out in the West Bank during a Palestinian protest against the separation barrier Israel is building in the area. Palestinian medics said four protesters were hit by rubber bullets fired by Israeli forces in Beit Jalla, a village just outside Jerusalem.

The Israeli army said it had used "nonlethal" methods such as tear gas to disperse what it called a riot by protesters who threw rocks at forces protecting a construction zone. It said no rubber bullets were fired.

The violence is not expected to derail the latest U.S. peace initiative. U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell is scheduled to return to the region this week, and the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO, is expected to give a final endorsement Saturday.

Early today, the Israeli website Ynet said the Israelis planned to begin the talks Wednesday in a meeting with Mitchell. The unsourced report said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to personally conduct the opening negotiations.

Netanyahu announced earlier he is willing to restart negotiations "at any time and at any place" while insisting they begin "without preconditions." He heads to Egypt today to brief President Hosni Mubarak on the latest progress.

The last round of peace talks broke down in late 2008, reportedly when the sides were close to an agreement. Netanyahu's more dovish predecessor, Ehud Olmert, was in office at the time.

The Palestinians have refused to sit down with Netanyahu until he agrees

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