The Foreign Affairs Ministry totally rejected EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana’s call for the United Nations Security Council to recognize a Palestinian Authority state, even if an agreement is not reached with Israel.
"After a fixed deadline, a U.N. Security Council resolution should proclaim the adoption of the two-state solution," Solana said Saturday. He repeated the call Sunday afternoon at a London gathering on the peace process.
He added that the proclamation should include border parameters, refugees, and control over the city of Jerusalem and security arrangements. "It would accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the U.N., and set a calendar for implementation. It would mandate the resolution of other remaining territorial disputes and legitimize the end of claims."
The Foreign Affairs Ministry rejected Solana’s call, stating that only negotiations could bring a resolution to the Middle East conflict. "According to U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the Roadmap and the treaties signed between the two sides, a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be reached through negotiations," the Ministry said in a statement.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that Israel calls to immediately renew negotiations between the sides without conditions and warns that determining artificial deadlines will endanger the chances for an agreement.
A senior government official told Voice of Israel government radio that Solana ignores the question of who would enforce his proposals. The official noted that EU observers fled from Gaza when the Hamas terrorist organization took over the PA government in Gaza.
Another official said that Solana is trying to reinvent the wheel. The official explained that Solana’s proposal was already made during the Sharon administration – and was rejected by the PA side.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday at a memorial gathering for Theodore Herzl: “I yearn for the day that the Palestinian leaders face their people and say these clear words: ‘We have had enough of this conflict. We, the Palestinians, recognize the right of the Jewish people to a country of its own on this land. We will live beside you in true peace.”
“Once these things are said, a window – even a huge opening – will be opened to peace,” he said. The PA immediately rejected his call, charging that the Prime Minister was establishing pre-conditions for talks.