Erekat: Olmert obstructed a peace deal with the Palestinians?

Saturday March 28, 2009 10:42 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Dr. Saeb Erekat, head of the Negotiations Department at the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), denied the statements of the Israeli occupation terrorist government's outgoing Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, in which he claimed that he offered president Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas a full peace settlement and that he still awaits a response.

The statement of Erekat came during a meeting with the US Consul General in Jerusalem, Jake Wallace.

Erekat confirmed that an agreement with the former US President, George Bush, stated that Palestinian delegates headed Erekat himself, and Israeli delegates headed by Shalom Turjman would head to Washington on January 3, 2009.

The delegates were supposed to hold talks on all issues raised during meetings between Abbas and Olmert, but the Israeli government initiated the war on Gaza on December 27, 2008.

Erekat said that the talks between the two sides were serious and comprehensive, but the Israeli side did not present any official documents or maps.

He also said that the statements of Olmert are a continuation of the Israeli attempts to blame the Palestinians on the failure of peace talks.

Dr. Erekat stressed that peace negotiations with Israel are “not a market or a bazaar”, and that these talks should be conducted in order to implement the related international resolutions and the international law.

He also said that the talks should lead to a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, and the establishment of an independent contiguous Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The talks, Erekat stated, should ensure an Israeli withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 borders, in order to establish a Palestinian state after resolving the issues of Jerusalem, borders, settlements, refugees, security and the release of all political prisoners.

The Chief negotiator welcomed the statements of the US President Barack Obama in which he said that he will practice utmost efforts in order to achieve peace in the Middle East, based on the two-state solution.

He called on the US administration to act in order to oblige Israel to stop the construction and expansion of settlement, to lift the siege on Gaza and the closures in the West Bank in accordance with the Israel commitments to the first stage of the Road Map Peace Plan.

Erekat: Olmert verbally offered joint control over East Jerusalem

Sunday March 29, 2009 07:27 by IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian Chief Negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, stated on Saturday that outgoing Israeli occupation terrorist government's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, offered President Mahmoud Abbas, joint control over East Jerusalem, in addition to annexing 6.5% from the West Bank and giving the Palestinian 5.8% from “Israeli lands”.

Erekat added that Olmert presented this offer on September 17, 2008. He said that the lands Olmert offered are on the southern, central and northern parts of the West Bank.

He added that the 0.7% difference between what is being offered and what Israel wants to keep is the safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza. The suggested passage starts in Tarqoumia town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron and end at the Eretz Terminal leading to the Gaza Strip.

The West Bank areas that Olmert wants to keep are the three main Israeli settlement blocs; Gush Atzion, near Hebron in the southern part of the West Bank, Ariel in the northern part of the West Bank and Maali Adumim in east Jerusalem.

Dr. Erekat added that Israel wants to keep its control over water resources in these areas.

He also said that Olmert offered joint control over East Jerusalem, and that Al-Aqsa Mosque area should be under joint Palestinian-Israeli control.

Yet, Olmert also wants the illegal settlements and outpost in east Jerusalem to be under Israel’s full control.

Furthermore, Erekat said that Olmert’s offers were all verbal and were made during a meeting with Abbas.

Erekat stated that what Israel is presenting is obliging the Palestinians to accept whatever Israel is offering, which also includes forcing the Palestinians to accept the illegal outposts in East Jerusalem.

He also stated that Olmert did not present maps, and failed to respond to a number of questions raised by Abbas, such as more questions on Jerusalem, refugees, borders and water,

“We are still awaiting Olmert’s response on a number of questions on Jerusalem, the refugees and water”, Erekat said, “There are several other questions Olmert did not fail to answer, there was an offer on the refugees, we did not reject it but it was not an official written”.

On the borders issue, Erekat said that there was a Palestinian-Israeli meeting held in July last year, with the presence of former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

He stated that the three sides agreed that the borders of the Palestinian State are the 1967 borders, including East Jerusalem and the Dead Sea area.

“But Olmert never presented maps or serious propositions”, Erekat said, “the Palestinian teams were always ready for a deal that is coherent with the international legitimacy, the Road Map Peace Plan, and the Arab Peace Initiative”.

On March 15, Olmert claimed that peace talks with the Palestinians reached an advanced level “but the Palestinians lacked the courage to sign a deal”.

Meanwhile, Erekat said that peace talks launched after the November 2007 Annapolis Summit, did not advance, and did not lead to any deal or initial agreement due to Israeli preconditions.  

He also said that Abbas and the former US President, George W. Bush, met in December of 2008, and agreed on an important Palestinian-Israeli-American meeting to transfer the file to the new US Administration, under President Barack Obama.

“But what happened instead, is the Israel launched its offensive on Gaza”, Erekat said, “What happened, is that Olmert went to war instead of heading towards peace”.