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PLO Top Official: U.S.-Sponsored Bilateral Negotiations are no Longer
PLO Top Official: U.S.-Sponsored Bilateral Negotiations are no Longer
Acceptable
Kifah Ziboun Asharq Al Awsat 24 January 2017
http://english.aawsat.com/2017/01/article55366169/plo-top-official-u-s-sponsored-bilateral-negotiations-no-longer-acceptable
Ramallah – Palestinians will not accept to return to the direct
U.S.-sponsored bilateral negotiations, after Washington has proven not to be
an impartial mediator, according to Member of Executive Committee of the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Wasil Abu Yousef.
Abu Yousef told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that they now demand international
guarantees within a time-frame that ensures Palestinian people receiving all
their rights, including a state with Eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
“Other than that, we won’t return to the vicious circle of U.S.-brokered
bilateral negotiations. We want to end the occupation and protect our people’s
rights, not return to negotiations for the sake of negotiating,” said Abu
Yousef.
The official’s statement come after U.S. President Donald Trump had a phone
call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump expressed his
support for the direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis, and
described it as the only solution for peace.
Palestine is seeking international involvement in the negotiation, similar
to those in the “5+1” talks that solved Iran’s nuclear case.
Prior to any meeting, Palestine conditions ending settlement expansion and
the release of the fourth group of Palestinian detainees as previously
agreed. But Israel refuses and has pushed new settling plans.
Palestinian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Israel’s approval to build
hundreds of new settlement units.
In a statement issued, the ministry strongly denounced the remarks of the
ruling right wing in Israel, headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, who openly brags upon his support to the establishment of
settlement units.
“The ministry confirms that these settlement operations come in the context
of pre-planned schemes aimed at the Judaism of large parts of the occupied
West Bank, including Jerusalem, undermining any chance of establishing a
Palestinian viable and sovereign state alongside the State of Israel. These
plans come in the framework of the Israeli occupational strategic bid aiming
at resolving the final status issued by one party, in addition to specifying
Israeli-Palestinian conflict solutions in accordance to Israeli interests,”
added the statement.
The ministry also expressed its belief that the Israeli government, headed
by Netanyahu, began creating obstacles to challenge the American President
Donald Trump administration’s efforts to achieve peace between Palestinians
and Israelis.
“In the middle of unrealistic Israeli propaganda stating that the
international atmosphere became proper to continue establishing more
settlement operations and land confiscation, emphasizing an official Israeli
anticipation and a crude attempt to impose the Israeli vision and stance
disregarding Trump’s administration,” according to the statement.
The ministry thus considers the implementation of Security Council
Resolution 2334 crucial for it insures the reopening of fruitful gates and
serious peace negotiations.
Abu Youssef said that this statement means the current state peace had
ended, and marks the beginning of a new phase.
Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened that they’d withdraw
recognition of Israel if it keeps refusing to reciprocate and if Washington
moved its embassy to Jerusalem.
Source: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=72083
