Israel Blasts 'Dangerous' EU Call For Deadline On Palestinian State
By Barak Ravid and Assaf Uni,
Haaretz Correspondents, and Reuters
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Courtesy Of Haaretz NewsPaper
The Foreign Ministry on Sunday dismissed a call by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, for the United Nations to set a deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state as "dangerous."
"Resolutions 242 and 338 of the United Nations, the roadmap [peace plan] and agreements between Israel and the Palestinians all cautiously determine that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only be reached through negotiations by the sides," the ministry said in a statement.
Speaking Saturday at a lecture in London, Solana said the UN Security Council should recognize a Palestinian state even if no peace accord had been reached between Israel and the Palestinians by the deadline.
The Foreign Ministry added: "Israel has called more than once for the immediate renewal of the talks without preconditions.
"Another demand setting an artificial deadline endangers and harms the chances of actually reaching a bilateral agreement between Israel and the Palestinians."
The Palestinians have said they will not revive peace talks unless there is a halt to Israel's settlement activities in the West Bank.
Solana said on Saturday that, "After a fixed deadline, a UN Security Council resolution should proclaim the adoption of the two-state solution." He added that this should include border parameters, refugees, control over the city of Jerusalem and security arrangements.
"It would accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the UN, and set a calendar for implementation. It would mandate the resolution of other remaining territorial disputes and legitimize the end of claims," Solana went on.
Advocating a return to Israel's borders before the 1967 Six-Day War with Egypt, Syria and Jordan in which it took the West Bank and other territories, Solana said mediators should set a timetable for a peace agreement.
"If the parties are not able to stick to it [the timetable], then a solution backed by the international community should be put on the table," he said.
Solana also praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "for finally generating an Israeli consensus" on a two-state solution.
The EU, along with the United States, Russia and the United Nations, is part of the Quartet of Middle East Negotiators.
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