Chief negotiator sees 'dead end' to peace talks
Continuation of colonisation seen as a major hurdle
Washington: The White House has hit a wall in its attempts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said that recent US efforts to get the two sides back to the negotiating table — or at least nearby tables as part of proximity talks — had reached a "dead end."
"It appears that all the consultations that have happened with the Israeli government and the American administration and other states have reached a dead end, with Israeli positions insisting on a continuation of colonisation," Dr Erekat said on the Voice of Palestine Radio yesterday.
As Palestinians have become increasingly disillusioned with a negotiated two-state solution, they have gravitated towards two main alternatives: unilaterally declare statehood, or back a "one-state solution" in which a common border and higher Arab birthrates would force Israel to become either non-Jewish or non-democratic.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday warned Palestinians against the first option — declaring independence unilaterally — saying that in response Israel could annex part of the West Bank or back out of peace agreements including the Oslo Accords.
Relations between Israel and Washington have been tense since March, when the Israeli government announced plans to build 1,600 new housing units in occupied east Jerusalem.
Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama tried to resolve their differences during several tense meetings two weeks ago, but did not come to an agreement.
Obama has asked Netanyahu for written pledges that would confirm Israel's commitment to advancing talks with the Palestinians through a series of confidence-building measures; Israel has not formally replied to this request.
Whether the talks have actually reached a dead-end or not — US officials will confirm nothing of the sort — the statement reflects dwindling Palestinian expectations in Obama's ability to coax or prod Israel towards peace talks.
"It's a fair characterisation of the way most Palestinians feel at this point," Bassem Zubeidy, a professor at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah, says of Erekat's declaration.
"Everyone's realising the Americans have their own limitations vis-a-vis Israel."
"Obama is unable to invest any more political capital in this issue than he already has, and the Israelis are more interested in creating facts on the ground than in his peace plan," says Prof Zubeidy.
