Er lijkt maar geen einde te komen aan de Palestijnse voorwaarden voor onderhandelingen met Israel. Zodra Israel er aan een heeft voldaan, springen er weer vijf nieuwe uit de grond.
Meanwhile, President Mahmoud Abbas declared eight preconditions which must be met by Israel in order to bring the Palestinian side back to the negotiation table, including a total settlement freeze and Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state on 1967 borders.
Deze voorwaarden lijken er niet op gericht tot onderhandelingen en een vredesverdrag te komen, maar om dat te verhinderen. Natuurlijk gaat Israel niet heel Oost Jeruzalem, met alle Joodse heilige plaatsen aldaar en de Hebreeuwese Universiteit en de Joodse wijk in de oude stad, opgeven, laat staan dat men dat op voorhand zou doen. Het wordt tijd dat iemand de Palestijnen eens uitlegt dat ze binnen een paar jaar een eigen staat kunnen hebben, mits ze bereid zijn tot het sluiten van een compromis en enig realisme aan de dag kunnen leggen.
RP
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Erekat rejects US call to renew talks
Published Saturday 09/01/2010 (updated) 10/01/2010 10:14
Bethlehem – Ma'an/Agencies – The Palestinian Authority rejected US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's call for the resumption of peace talks without prerequisites, Agence France Presse and Israeli media reported on Saturday.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat stressed that peace talks can only be renewed on the condition that Israel realizes a settlement standstill across the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem. "A resumption of peace talks requires the complete halt of settlements," Erekat told the AFP.
Negotiations, he added, could only be reinitiated from the point at which they were stopped in December 2008, when Israel launched Operation Cast Lead.
It was announced on Friday that the US and Jordan would urge Palestinians and Israel to discuss Jerusalem and borders – issues that have been relegated to final status talks in previous negotiations. Meanwhile, President Mahmoud Abbas declared eight preconditions which must be met by Israel in order to bring the Palestinian side back to the negotiation table, including a total settlement freeze and Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state on 1967 borders.
"Resolving borders resolves settlements, resolving Jerusalem resolves settlements. I think we need to lift our sights and instead of looking down at the trees, we need to look at the forest," said Clinton after meeting Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh at the State Department and quoted by the Israeli daily Haaretz.
"We are working with the Israelis, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and the Arab states to take the steps needed to re-launch negotiations as soon as possible and without preconditions, which is in the interests of everyone in the region," Clinton added.
Previous negotiations have always stalled on the issue of settlements and Palestinian refugees, issues that both sides refuse to compromise on. However, as both Judeh and Clinton condemned settlement construction in east Jerusalem, Israeli media reported over the weekend that plans to build another 100 housing units in the Palestinian neighborhood of Ras Al-A'moud were to be approved.
Middle East Special Envoy George Mitchell is due to tour Europe, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories this month, and it is anticipated that with him he will bring written guarantees to both Palestinian and Israeli officials.
The Israeli daily suggested that "For the Israelis, they [the US] would acknowledge that post-1967 demographic changes on the ground must be taken into account, meaning that Israel would be able to keep some settlements."
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat stressed that peace talks can only be renewed on the condition that Israel realizes a settlement standstill across the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem. "A resumption of peace talks requires the complete halt of settlements," Erekat told the AFP.
Negotiations, he added, could only be reinitiated from the point at which they were stopped in December 2008, when Israel launched Operation Cast Lead.
It was announced on Friday that the US and Jordan would urge Palestinians and Israel to discuss Jerusalem and borders – issues that have been relegated to final status talks in previous negotiations. Meanwhile, President Mahmoud Abbas declared eight preconditions which must be met by Israel in order to bring the Palestinian side back to the negotiation table, including a total settlement freeze and Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state on 1967 borders.
"Resolving borders resolves settlements, resolving Jerusalem resolves settlements. I think we need to lift our sights and instead of looking down at the trees, we need to look at the forest," said Clinton after meeting Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh at the State Department and quoted by the Israeli daily Haaretz.
"We are working with the Israelis, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and the Arab states to take the steps needed to re-launch negotiations as soon as possible and without preconditions, which is in the interests of everyone in the region," Clinton added.
Previous negotiations have always stalled on the issue of settlements and Palestinian refugees, issues that both sides refuse to compromise on. However, as both Judeh and Clinton condemned settlement construction in east Jerusalem, Israeli media reported over the weekend that plans to build another 100 housing units in the Palestinian neighborhood of Ras Al-A'moud were to be approved.
Middle East Special Envoy George Mitchell is due to tour Europe, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories this month, and it is anticipated that with him he will bring written guarantees to both Palestinian and Israeli officials.
The Israeli daily suggested that "For the Israelis, they [the US] would acknowledge that post-1967 demographic changes on the ground must be taken into account, meaning that Israel would be able to keep some settlements."
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