Ramallah: Palestinians must declare an independent state as soon as possible because they’re gaining nothing as things are and time is passing, according to Dr Mustafa Al Barghouti, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative.

“The Palestinian Cabinet’s programme of building the state’s institutions clearly announced that the State of Palestine will be ready in August 2011 and so a declaration of an independent Palestinian state is a must at the moment,” he said.

The current stalled conditions will give Israel the chance to highlight and push for a state of temporary borders, he said, adding that Israeli officials have been giving statements on the difficulties of reaching a final agreement with the Palestinians, whereas temporary solutions would be of more benefit.

“The Palestinians, however, will never accept another Oslo Accord in the same area,” he said. “Dissolving the Palestinian Authority should never be an option as the Palestinian people have exerted prolonged efforts to set it up; however the nature of the authority should be amended and security coordination with Israel stopped at once,” he said.