Erekat: Peace Talks Require Settlement Halt
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday that peace talks with Israel are contingent on a halt to West Bank settlement construction — and that he doesn’t expect any major progress to come out of his meeting with an Israeli envoy unless Israel agrees to that condition.
Speaking to reporters, Erekat also said that Israel must accept the 1967 lines as a basis for a border with a future Palestinian state.
The veteran Palestinian negotiator is slated to sit down Tuesday in Jordan with Israeli envoy Yitzhak Molcho. It marks the first official meeting between Israeli and Palestinian officials since September 2010, when negotiations between the two parties stalled.
The talks come as Palestinians are preparing a diplomatic offensive, designed to put Israel under “a real international siege.”
The campaign that the Palestinians are planning to launch later this month could include pushing the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning settlement construction and urging the International Criminal Court to try Israel for war crimes related to its 2008-2009 incursion into the Gaza Strip.
“The campaign will be similar to the one waged against apartheid in South Africa,” according to a Fatah Central Committee document obtained by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
