Netanyahu Destroying Two-State Solution: Plo's Erekat

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s executive committee, said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had chosen a policy of unfettered settlement construction over a two-state solution to the perennial Arab-Israeli conflict.



"The Palestinian position has been consistent," said Erekat. "Israel must stop settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and show a commitment to the principle of a two-state solution."



"This includes the establishment of a Palestinian state on land occupied in 1967 and the release -- as promised -- of a fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners," he asserted.



Erekat added: "Here we're talking about commitments made earlier by Israel, not mere Palestinian requests."



On Tuesday, Netanyahu told visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that Israel had no intention of halting construction of Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.



Erekat, however, said the Palestinians had been fully aware of Netanyahu's hardline position long before Kerry's latest visit to the region.  



"Netanyahu has not only refused to talk about halting illegal settlement construction, but -- on the contrary -- recently announced plans to build 3,150 new settlements units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem while reiterating his rejection of a two-state solution," Erekat said.



The Israeli premier, Erekat added, "also refuses to talk about the issues of Palestinian refugees and [the status of] Jerusalem while insisting on Israeli control of the Jordan Valley, Palestinian airspace and all border crossings in any future agreement".



He went to say that, since 2009, the U.S., EU, Russia and the UN -- along with the wider international community -- have all been aware of Netanyahu's intentions and actions on the ground.



"If they [members of the international community] really want to fight terrorism in the region, they have to realize that the first step in this regard is to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent state of Palestine," he told Anadolu Agency.



On Tuesday, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Netanyahu had called on Washington to recognize the legitimacy of Israeli settlement blocs -- and Israel's right to build them -- in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.



Erekat, for his part, described Netanyahu's request for U.S. recognition of Israeli settlements built on occupied Paletinian territory as "unprecedented audacity".



"We have seen in the media that Mr. Netanyahu had asked Mr. Kerry for U.S. recognition of Israeli settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank in exchange for providing 'facilities' to the Palestinians," he said.



"If this is true, it is not only a violation of international law, but also a declaration by a UN member state that it will violate the founding principles of the UN and international law," Erekat asserted.



'Strategic mistake'



Erekat went on to warn Israel against the belief that it could maintain the current status quo in the Palestinian territories indefinitely.



"They [the Israelis] are committing a strategic mistake," he said. "We're on the verge of implementing resolutions issued by the [PLO's] Palestinian Central Council, which call for the termination of all security, political and economic ties with Israel."



Erekat also broached the subject of the ongoing Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation -- which some are calling a "Third Intifada" -- asserting that the Palestinian people had a right to defend themselves.



"The Palestinian people are now loudly demanding their freedom and national dignity," he said. "The international community, therefore, should play a role in helping to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital." - Filistin