Palestine: No Negotiations Before Halt to Israeli Settlements

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared on Thursday that no proposal ignoring Jerusalem as the capital of Palestinians would be acceptable to Palestinians.

Abbas added that there would be no peace negotiations with Israel as long as the construction in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem continues:

If Israel says in the meeting that it will not accept the 1967 borders and that it is not prepared to discuss Jerusalem and the refugee situation, what is there to talk about?

If I enter negotiations with them and the building in East Jerusalem continues, Israel will be saying that Jerusalem is theirs. So why would I agree to negotiate while building in East Jerusalem continues?

Abbas concluded that he will accept Israel as a Jewish state only when West Jerusalem accepts the terms of Palestinians.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said, in a separate declaration, that there was no agreement yet to resume talks with Israel. Responding to the latest US proposal for talks at a level below full-scale negotiations between leaders, Fayyad told Reuters:

We heard about low-level, mid-level, high-level (talks). I don't think there is anything yet that has been crystallised in terms of going forward.

However, Fayyad not close the door on talks: "We Palestinians stand to lose the most from a stalled peace process, but we would still like to see the process resumed in a way that would give us confidence that it can actually deliver what it should be able to deliver."

Israel-Palestine: United Nations "Stop the Occupation of East Jerusalem"

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Israelis about the continued settlement construction in East Jerusalem.

Having already expressed concerns over the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, Ban said at a meeting in New York:

Settlement construction violates international law and contravenes the Road Map, under which Israel is obliged to freeze all settlement activity, including the so-called ‘natural growth.’

This is in no one’s interest, least of all Israel’s. Settlement activity undermines trust between the two parties, seems to pre-judge the outcome of the future permanent status negotiations, and imperils the basis for the two-State solution.

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In the absence of talks, confidence between the parties has diminished. Tensions have risen in East Jerusalem. People in Gaza and southern Israel continue to suffer from violence. If we do not move forward on the political process soon, we risk sliding backwards.

It bears repeating that the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory. A way must be found, through negotiations, for Jerusalem to emerge as the capital of two States living side-by-side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all.

Palestine: Abbas Calls on Washington to "Draw Red Lines" for Israel

Despite last week's proposal of the Quartet (US, European Union, United Nations, and Russia) that Israel reopen the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority headquarters in East Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman declared on Sunday that Israel would not make any more gestures to the Palestinians: "We expect the Palestinians to make gestures to us. First and foremost, they must stop their incitement against Israel in the international arena."

Later on Sunday, the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas intervened and called on Washington to draw "red lines" for Israel. Abbas reiterated their demands on a full halt in the Israeli settlement construction the West Bank.

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On Tuesday, after  the approval of 900 housing units in November and 700 new apartments in December, Israel's Jerusalem municipality approved the construction of a further four apartment buildings in East Jerusalem.

Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat responded, "We condemn this decision in the strongest language and we condemn the Israeli Government's continuing construction of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank....Netanyahu's government is talking about peace and negotiations in a way that is totally opposed to the reality on the ground where settlement activity is continuing."

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Stephan Miller, spokesman for Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, was far happier about the decision, "As far as the municipality is concerned, building can begin".