Palestinians say Israeli speech 'closes door to permanent status negotiations'

PALESTINIAN SPOKESMEN from all factions have condemned Sunday’s policy address by Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in which he presented his vision of relations between Palestinians and Israelis.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, an aide of President Mahmoud Abbas, said Mr Netanyahu’s “remarks have sabotaged all initiatives and paralysed all ongoing efforts” to restart talks. He called on the international community to “confront this policy” to ensure Israel honours its obligations under the 2003 road map peace plan.

Mr Abbas’ senior negotiator, Dr Saeb Erekat, stated, “The peace process has been moving at the speed of a tortoise . . . Netanyahu has flipped it over on its back. [His] speech closed the door to permanent status negotiations” which are meant to resolve the issues of borders, Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, Palestinian refugees and resources.

“Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about negotiations, but left us with nothing to negotiate as he systematically took nearly every permanent status issue off the table. Nor did he accept a Palestinian state. Instead, he announced a series of conditions and qualifications that render a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state impossible . . . he failed to set the stage for negotiations. There was no acceptance of the two-state solution . . . and no intention to lift all restrictions on Palestinian movement, including an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza.”

Yasser Abed Rabbo, head of the Fatah-dominated PLO’s executive committee, dubbed the speech a “zero”. He called Mr Netanyahu “a swindler, a fraud and a liar who uses tricks to [create the illusion] he is interested in peace”. Dr Mustafa Barghouti, an independent Palestinian legislator, said Mr Netanyahu had disappointed Palestinians who were “hoping we would hear some real flexibility”. Mr Netanyahu, he said, is determined to maintain control of Palestinian land, borders resources, air- space and deny sovereignty to a Palestinian state. “If you put all these elements together what you have is . . . an apartheid system. He did not speak about a state. He spoke about a ghetto.” Dr Barghouti appealed to Fatah, which administers the West Bank, and Hamas, ruler of Gaza, to end their pointless power struggle.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri termed the speech “racist” and called on Arab nations to “consolidate their opposition” to Israel.

Speaking to commandos, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said yesterday that Israel’s demand that Palestinians recognise Israel as the state of the Jewish people “scuttles chances for peace . . . You won’t find anyone to answer that call in Egypt or any other place” in the region.

Syria’s state-owned newspaper Tishrin said Mr Natanyahu’s plans for a Palestinian state would confine Palestinians to “cantons reminiscent of black people’s cantons in South Africa when the racist regime was in power”.