PALESTINIAN PRIME minister Salam Fayyad has said that the time is not ripe for meaningful negotiations with Israel as a renewal of talks is likely to result in the sides blaming one another for failure rather than a deal.
He stated: “We want to see an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967. We want the Palestinian people to live in dignity.
“We are committed to the peace process, but I think we need to take it into account that right now the conditions are not right for the resumption of serious talks.
“All we want is a sovereign and sustainable state on 22 per cent of the land. We want freedom from Israel, not the right to vote in Israel. If [the Palestinians do not succeed], who will be able to prevent this conflict from turning into a struggle for equal voting rights [for Palestinians in Israel],” he asserted.
Mr Fayyad sharply criticised Israel’s plans to construct 2,600 housing units in a new settlement in Israel’s expanded Jerusalem municipality. “It’s actually [in] Bethlehem. There can be no solution to the conflict without the recognition of East Jerusalem as the permanent capital of Palestine.”
Mr Fayyad’s comments coincided with efforts by the Quartet – comprising the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia – to hold indirect talks between Palestinians and Israelis with the aim of relaunching direct negotiations.
On Tuesday, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed regret that the October 26th Quartet meeting will not restart direct negotiations and blamed the Palestinians for laying down preconditions for such talks.
Mr Fayyad responded: “It’s not for lack of talks that this process has not produced” any outcome. “It’s precisely because . . . talks took place so many times . . . [without] terms of reference that are really consistent with what is required to bring this conflict to an end in a manner that is remotely related to what international law requires.”
The Palestinians insist that Israel halt settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and agree to negotiate on the basis of the ceasefire line of June 1967.
While Mr Fayyad admitted that Palestinian-US relations are strained without discussing details, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour said Washington was trying to stall consideration of the Palestinian bid for UN membership due to reach a decisive point on or around November 11th.
“Even though we meet all the conditions of the application, America wants to discuss each point separately to gain more time.” He said the US is attempting to extend talk on the “is Palestine a state” condition and holds that the state can be estab- lished only through negotiations. Council members are also debating whether Palestine is “peace loving” and prepared to fulfil the obligations imposed by the UN Charter.
The US has been pressing several council members to vote no or abstain from the vote on Palestinian membership to deprive the Palestinians of a majority in the 15-seat body so that Washington does not have to use its veto.
