Jerusalem, 21 January 2001

At its weekly meeting today (Sunday), 21.1.2001, the Cabinet took cognizance of both Prime Minister Ehud Barak's statement regarding the departure of the delegation to the negotiations with the Palestinians at Taba and the Israeli position on three main points:

1. Israel will never allow the right of Palestinian refugees to return to inside the State of Israel.

2. Prime Minister Barak will not sign any document which transfers sovereignty over the Temple Mount to the Palestinians.

3. Israel insists that in any settlement, 80% of the Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza will be in settlement blocs under Israeli sovereignty.