Palestinians to seek U.N. support for state

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"The Palestinians plan to take their quest for independence to the U.N. Security Council, aiming to secure international support for a state, Palestinian officials said Sunday.

Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said there was no time frame for the diplomatic initiative to secure backing for the state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "When we are ready, we will go," he told Reuters.

Palestinians attributed the move to frustration at the lack of progress in peace negotiations with Israel which have been stalled for a year.

Despite months of diplomacy, the United States has failed to broker a resumption of talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Abbas has stuck by his demand for a total halt to Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank before any return to peace talks. He has resisted recent U.S. pressure to resume negotiations right away."

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[Scurrilous]

1. Abbas advisor: All Netanyahu's actions unilateral

After PM says unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood would unravel past agreements and lead to 'one-sided Israeli measures,' political advisor to PA leader says, 'Netanyahu's government decided unilaterally that settlement construction does not contradict peace'

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3805645,00.html

<snip>

"Nimar Hamad, political advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, commented on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding the possibility of Palestinian declaration of independence and stated that Netanyahu's government is already engaged in unilateral steps.

"Netanyahu's actions are all unilateral, he and his government decide unilaterally on settlement construction in Jerusalem. He and his government have unilaterally decided that settlement construction does not contradict peace.

"In fact, from the day that we signed the agreements Israel has been engaging in a unilateral policy," Hamad told Ynet Sunday night.

Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu told the Saban Forum in Jerusalem that there was no alternative to negotiations to secure peace and that any unilateral moves by the Palestinians would unravel past agreements.

As for Netanyahu's claim that Israel has eased the daily life of Palestinians in the West Bank, Hamad said, "You can lie to some of the people some of the time, but you can't lie to all the people all the time. You can't lie to both the Palestinian and Israeli nations."

According to Abbas' advisor, the Palestinians will not declare statehood unilaterally. "We are looking into the possibility of approaching the international community, including the US, to receive support for the two-state solution and an end to the occupation."

[bemildred]

2. PM: Unilateralism will unravel talks

Unilateral Palestinian steps will bring a one-sided Israeli response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday, as Palestinians tried to garner international support for the declaration of a state.

"Any unilateral path will only unravel the framework of agreements between us and will only bring unilateral steps from Israel's side," he said, speaking at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem yesterday.

"What is needed to start moving forward is to begin negotiations immediately," Netanyahu said, and "to start off with a good spirit, one might say with a generous spirit. I am talking about our side, and that is what I also told Obama."

The comments came after chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian Authority was working to draw the widest possible international support for the idea of approaching the UN Security Council to declare a Palestinian state within the 1967 boundaries.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1128412.html

[bemildred]

3. Netanyahu seeks to foil Palestinian declaration of statehood

"We have prevented a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proudly announced. That was on May 4, 1999, the deadline set by the Oslo Accords for the end of the interim period and the beginning of the final peace agreement.

The negotiations bogged down. The timetable was extended and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat threatened to declare an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu, who was being challenged by Ehud Barak for the premiership, conducted a successful diplomatic effort against the Palestinian declaration. Arafat caved, but not before declaring that "the Palestinian state exists and will be declared on Palestinian soil whether they like it or not."

There is consistency in the Middle East. Netanyahu has returned to power after a decade and is again fighting a Palestinian threat to declare statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The response is similar, too. The first time around Israel threatened that such a move would result in the cancellation of existing agreements, and yesterday Netanyahu spoke of the "unraveling" of agreements if the Palestinians made good on their threat and declared a Palestinian state. He hinted that a unilateral Palestinian move would be met by a unilateral response by Israel. Israeli cabinet ministers threatened that Israel would annex portions of the West Bank.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak heard a similar threat when he was prime minister after failed talks at Camp David and the eruption of the second intifada in the autumn of 2000. He responded with a plan for unilateral separation that included the threat to gradually annex settlement blocs to Israel around Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel and Gush Etzion. Ariel Sharon, who was then running against Barak for prime minister, ultimately carried out the decisive move of setting the route of the security fence, in advance of a future annexation of settlement blocs.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1128411.html

[Violet_Crumble]

4. There's nothing Israel can do to stop a Palestinian state being declared...

Guess that's why their 'threats' are coming across as just a bit hysterical....

[excess_3]

5. the UN does not grant statehood, it grants membership

time to apply