Israel setting preconditions on negotiations and imposing a de facto one-state solution

Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr Saeb Erakat, today said that statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night, in which he imposed further conditions on negotiations and announced Israel’s intention to continue its occupation irrespective of their outcome, were a direct challenge to the international community and cast Israel’s readiness for peace further into doubt.

“Benjamin Netanyahu has said no to a settlement freeze, no to sharing Jerusalem, no to the 1967 borders, no to the rights of Palestinian refugees. Now he wants to retain the Jordan Valley. What are these if not Israeli preconditions on negotiations that erode any foundation of hope for the two-state solution?” Dr Erakat said.

“We had hoped to hear a clear commitment to negotiations without preconditions. What we got instead was Mr. Netanyahu again trying to dictate their terms and preempt their outcome. The only remaining obstacle to negotiations, are the conditions Mr. Netanyahu continues to impose.”

Timed to coincide with the arrival of US envoy George Mitchell to the region, Mr. Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s intention to indefinitely maintain its illegal occupation in the Palestinian territory.

“What Benjamin Netanyahu basically said is that it does not matter what happens in negotiations. Irrespective of their outcome, Israel’s occupation will continue on the ground. Israel will continue to confiscate occupied Palestinian land and continue to maintain a military presence in the Palestinian territory,” Dr Erakat said.

“The international community needs to remove the remaining obstacles to negotiations, namely Israel’s refusal to implement a comprehensive settlement freeze and its insistence on trying to dictate rather than negotiate peace,” Dr Erakat said.

“Under the conditions Mr. Netanyahu is trying to impose, the only foreseeable outcome is a continuation of the status quo and the end of the two-state solution. Israel is sabotaging the two-state solution and imposing a de facto one-state solution, or bi-national state,” Dr Erakat concluded.