RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials sought U.S. and European help Monday to salvage foundering peacemaking after tough terms laid out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinian disappointment was echoed in capitals across the Arab world, where leaders accused Netanyahu of setting more obstacles in the talks.
Netanyahu on Sunday backed down on opposition to Palestinian statehood but insisted that Israel would retain sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. He also said he would not halt Jewish settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said said he contacted American and European mediators in the wake of the speech and urged them to hold Israel — and the Palestinians — to their obligations under previous talks. Israel is required to halt settlements, while Palestinians must rein in militants.
The Arab League’s undersecretary general for Palestinian affairs, Mohammed Sobeih, said Netanyahu’s speech might satisfy "extremists in Israel” but was "too far from what peace needs.”
by the associated press
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Showing posts with label Palestinians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Palestinians. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Palestinians dismiss Israeli new stance
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed a Palestinian state for the first time Sunday, reversing himself in the face of U.S. pressure but attaching conditions like demilitarization that the Palestinians swiftly rejected.
A week after President Barack Obama’s address to the Muslim world, Netanyahu said the Palestinian state would have to be unarmed and recognize Israel as the Jewish state — a condition amounting to Palestinians giving up the goal of returning to Israel.
The West Bank-based Palestinian government dismissed the proposal as an attempt to determine the outcome of negotiations while maintaining Israeli settlements, refusing compromise over Jerusalem and ignoring the issue of borders. They also said that demilitarization would solidify Israeli control over them.
Netanyahu, in an address seen as his response to Obama, refused to heed the U.S. call for an immediate freeze of construction on lands Palestinians claim for their future state. He also said Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty.
"Netanyahu’s speech closed the door to permanent status negotiations,” senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said. "We ask the world not to be fooled by his use of the term ‘Palestinian state’ because he qualified it.”
The Palestinians demand all of the West Bank as part of a future state, with east Jerusalem as their capital. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast war.
by the associated press
A week after President Barack Obama’s address to the Muslim world, Netanyahu said the Palestinian state would have to be unarmed and recognize Israel as the Jewish state — a condition amounting to Palestinians giving up the goal of returning to Israel.
The West Bank-based Palestinian government dismissed the proposal as an attempt to determine the outcome of negotiations while maintaining Israeli settlements, refusing compromise over Jerusalem and ignoring the issue of borders. They also said that demilitarization would solidify Israeli control over them.
Netanyahu, in an address seen as his response to Obama, refused to heed the U.S. call for an immediate freeze of construction on lands Palestinians claim for their future state. He also said Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty.
"Netanyahu’s speech closed the door to permanent status negotiations,” senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said. "We ask the world not to be fooled by his use of the term ‘Palestinian state’ because he qualified it.”
The Palestinians demand all of the West Bank as part of a future state, with east Jerusalem as their capital. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast war.
by the associated press
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Israel says Palestinians stage for Pontiff , is a security risk
AIDA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank — Palestinians in a refugee camp near Bethlehem want to receive Pope Benedict XVI in what they say is the most fitting setting — next to the towering cement wall that is part of Israel’s West Bank barrier and borders the camp on two sides.
They are building an outdoor theater next to the wall for the pope’s visit to Aida camp May 13. They say they chose the spot to highlight life under Israeli military occupation.
However, the Israeli government has ordered the construction to stop, saying camp organizers lack the necessary permits and that the theater’s proximity to the wall poses a security risk.
Israel started building the separation barrier in the West Bank in 2002, portraying it as a defense against Palestinian gunmen and suicide bombers. Palestinians have denounced it as a land grab.
The pope is touring the Holy Land from May 8-15, and will visit Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem, key locations in Jesus’ life.
by the associated press
They are building an outdoor theater next to the wall for the pope’s visit to Aida camp May 13. They say they chose the spot to highlight life under Israeli military occupation.
However, the Israeli government has ordered the construction to stop, saying camp organizers lack the necessary permits and that the theater’s proximity to the wall poses a security risk.
Israel started building the separation barrier in the West Bank in 2002, portraying it as a defense against Palestinian gunmen and suicide bombers. Palestinians have denounced it as a land grab.
The pope is touring the Holy Land from May 8-15, and will visit Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem, key locations in Jesus’ life.
by the associated press
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