The Palestinian Authority will try to influence public opinion in Israel ahead of the general elections in February by publishing advertisements in Israeli newspapers. The ads, which outline the Saudi peace plan, will appear in the papers as of this Thursday.

This is the first time that the PA is using this channel to communicate with the Israeli public. A source said that similar ads will be published in American and European newspapers as well.

The Saudi peace plan, which was adopted by the Arab League Summit in 2003, calls for a comprehensive peace agreement and the establishment of full diplomatic ties between Israel and the Arab world, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders.

'Best mechanism for resolving conflict'

The decision to run the ads was made following long deliberations between senior Palestinian leaders and Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al.) Tibi, who is considered in the PA an expert on Israeli media, was chosen to promote the project vis-a-vis the press.

"This is the first time that something like this is being done. The Palestinian Authority is saying to the Israeli public through these ads – please read the details of the Arab peace initiative thoroughly, this is an opportunity you can't afford to miss," Tibi said on Tuesday.

In the ad, which is signed by "the PLO's Negotiations Team," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ask to present to Israelis the main principles of the peace plan.

"Abu Mazen (Abbas) believes that this initiative is the best mechanism for resolving the conflict and he thinks that the Israeli public and political system have not been given a chance to get to know the details of the plan. He therefore decided to approach the public directly," explained Tibi.