Crowley: “U.S Committed To Recognizing Israel As A Jewish State”

Wednesday October 13, 2010 06:54 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Philip Crowley, Spokesperson of the US State Department, stated that the United States is committed to the recognition of Israel as a Jewish State and that President Obama’s administration is backing the issue as a fundamental demand in peace talks.

Crowley stated that the United States recognizes Israel as a state for the Jewish people and recognizes its special nature in this regard.

He also said that the U.S is not seeking to push the peace process for a number of months, but is rather seeking to create a clear path that would enable the Palestinian Authority and Israel resume the peace process.

Crowley further stated that the United States wants the two parties to be able to tackle core issues with the sole intention of reaching an agreement within a year.

Next week, Israel will be asking the United States for extend the so-called “security package” for a few more years.

It is worth mentioning that the U.S. direct aid to Israel is 3 Billion USD a year.

US: Israel is a Jewish state

Published today (updated) 13/10/2010 12:21

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) --

The US State Department said Tuesday it recognized "the aspiration of the people of Israel" to receive regional recognition as a Jewish state, a spokesman said.

"We recognize the aspiration of the people of Israel. It has – it’s a democracy. In that democracy, there’s a guarantee of freedom and liberties to all of its citizens," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said.

The spokesman said the "core demand" of the Israeli government, supported by the US, is "acceptance by the region of the existence of the state of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and that is what we want to see through this negotiation."

He added: "We have recognized the special nature of the Israeli state. It is a state for the Jewish people. It is a state for other citizens of other faiths as well."

The State Department's comments follow on from a request by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, calling on Israel and the future Palestinian state to guarantee equality for all citizens. "Basically in the case of Israel this means whether they are Jewish or not," a spokeswoman said.

Crowley further said US Middle East envoy George Mitchell would return to the region following the conclusion of an Arab League summit in Sirte, Libya, where leaders gave President Mahmoud Abbas a one-month deadline for progress in talks.

The Palestinian Authority on Monday rejected a demand earlier by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Israel as a Jewish state in exchange for an extension to a settlement freeze. Several consider the demand part of the "final status" issues to be agreed upon at a later stage of negotiations, as the PA threatens to withdraw from talks over the settlement issue.

In mid-September, regarding Netanyahu's demand that Palestinians recognized Israel as a Jewish state, Abbas said Israel was free to call itself the "Israeli Zionist Jewish Empire" and that was not his business. However, if Israel wanted Palestinian negotiators to recognize its state, it should also recognize a Palestinian state, he said.

Palestinian negotiators have recognized Israel's right to exist but not as a Jewish state, which officials say would prejudice Israel's non-Jewish citizens and the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

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US backs Palestinian demand to see a map of Israeli-Palestinian borders

Published today (updated) 14/10/2010 12:46

WASHINGTON (Ma’an) --

The US on Wednesday supported the PLO's request to see a map of Israel's borders, but said such demands must be made face-to-face, not through the media.

PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo on Wednesday called on Israel and the US to provide a map of Israel's borders before "asking anything else."

"Israel is an unknown entity in terms of borders [so] how does it suggest to recognize it as a Jewish state? Israel and the US should first set out Israel's borders," he explained.

The PLO rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer Monday that Israel would stop building settlements on Palestinian land for two months in exchange for the Palestinian Authority's recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

US State Department Spokesman Phillip Crowley said Abed Rabbo's request to see a map of Israel's borders was "the essence of the negotiation – what are the borders of a future Palestinian state, and conversely, what will be the borders of the Israeli state." As such, it was a "perfectly legitimate" question, but one that must be resolved in direct negotiations, Crowley said.

In a daily press briefing Tuesday, Crowley said the US recognized Israel as a Jewish state, noting that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama "have said this before."

The PLO officially recognized the State of Israel in 1993, but has refused Netanyahu's recent demand, which it said would threaten the civil rights of Palestinians living inside Israel, and forfeit the right of refugees to return.

While Abed Rabbo told Ma'an he had only spoken to Agence France-Presse over the issue, he was quoted in the Israeli daily Haaretz as offering recognition of Israel "according to the formulation of government within the hour" if Israel offered a map with 1967 borders.

According to the daily, Abed Rabbo said "Any formulation the Americans present – even asking us to call Israel the 'Chinese State' – we will agree to it, as long as we receive the 1967 borders. We have recognized Israel in the past, but Israel has not recognized the Palestinian state."

The comments drew harsh criticism from Hamas, who have called for the PLO official's immediate resignation over the issue.

Gaza government spokesman Taher An-Nunu said Abed Rabbo did not represent the Palestinian national consensus, and that his offer gave "dangerous concessions" to Israel.

The offer of recognition betrayed Palestinian refugees, and denied Palestinians the right to live on their land, he said, adding that the statement proved the PLO leadership was not protecting Palestinians' interests.