Erekat: US does not have power to solve conflict

Published yesterday (updated) 28/07/2009 12:00 Jericho – Ma’an –

“There are no fifty-fifty solutions around settlements built after 1976,” Head of the Negotiation Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Dr Saeb Erekat told Japan’s representative Monday.

“Israel has commitments to fulfill, like freezing the settlements, opening the closed offices and institutions in East Jerusalem, and lifting the siege over Gaza and the West Bank in addition to the release of detainees,” Erekat told Japanese representative Hideki Yamamoto.

Erekat expressed openly to Yamamoto his belief that the United States does not have the power to “force Israel to freeze the settlement construction [let alone] force Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders,” he said.

Mitchell: Normalization part of US peace plan

Published yesterday (updated) 28/07/2009 12:40 Bethlehem - Ma’an -

Top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell met for a live news conference Monday and clarified state expectations around future peace talks.

On the issue of the continued construction of Israeli settlements, Erekat, who earlier in the day expressed his doubt over whether the US would be able to halt construction, let alone force Israel to pull back to the 1967 borders, said “this [settlement construction halt] was never a Palestinian precondition but actually an Israeli obligation”

Mitchell, who confirmed that he spoke earlier Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said, “on behalf of President Obama I reiterated that it is American policy to seek peace in the region.” A peace, he elaborated, which includes normalization with Israel and Arab states.

“All involved must take steps to see an early return to negotiations and a prompt resolution of the conflict,” he said, “even if they are difficult or controversial.

Mitchell will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Tuesday.

Erekat: "There are no partial solutions on settlements"

Monday July 27, 2009 18:48 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies
Dr. Saeb Erekat, head of the Negotiations Department at the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) stated Monday that Israel must halt all of its settlement activities, including what it describes as natural growth. 

Dr. Erekat said that there are no partial solutions on this issue, and that Israel must comply with the international demands to halt its settlement activities.   

Following a meeting with the ambassador of Japan, Erekat told the Ramattan news agency that Israel must halt all of its settlement activities, and must open all of the institutions it shut down in East Jerusalem.   He added that Israel must lift the siege on Gaza, remove the roadblocks in the occupied West Bank, and release the detainees.   The Palestinian official added that these demands are not Palestinian preconditions, but are in fact commitments that Israel must fulfill as stated in the first stage of the Road Map peace plan.   

Dr. Erekat also demanded that Quartet Committee (The United States, The European Union, Russia and the United Nations), to make sure that the commitments to the Road Map are being implemented by all sides, and to clearly declare which side is avoiding its commitments.   He also said that if the United States fails in obliging Israel to halt its settlement activities, then it would not be able to oblige Israel to implement UN resolutions calling on the country to withdraw from all of the Palestinian and Arab territories it illegally captured in 1967, including East  Jerusalem.  

"There are several main issues that need determination in order to be resolved", Erekat said, "Israel is still denying the legitimate Right of Return of the Palestinians refugees, still rejects talks on main issues, such as borders, security, the detainees, and Jerusalem".    

It is worth mentioning that the Palestinian Authority declared recently that it will not hold peace talks with the Israel government unless Israel halts all of its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.