Washington Threatens to Stop Aid to The Palestinian Authority
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- Published on Tuesday, 10 July 2012 19:17
PNN
On Tuesday, July 10th, the head of the Political Committee of the Palestinian National Council, Khaled Mesmar, revealed that the Palestinian authority had received an American threat to cut off financial aid to the Palestinian Liberation Office in Washington if the Palestinian leadership submitted another membership bid to the United Nations.
Mesmar said that the PA has received the threat officially, through the American Administration envoy that visited Ramallah recently and met with the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
UN Membership
Mesmar said that the PA took the threats seriously, but that it is still determined to head to the UN to submit the membership bid, though the decision has not been taken yet.
The bid was stopped in September 2011 when the UN Security Council didn't vote in favor of it, due to pressure put on the members of the Security Council by the American delegation.
He also said that the Palestinian leadership would cancel its bid for statehood in the UN if Israel ceased building settlements and released the Palestinian prisoners that were detained before the Oslo's Convention of the 1993; of which there are around 70.
Resume Negotiations Immediately
Mesmar said that the American administration asked the Palestinian President to resume negotiations with Israel immediately and without pre-conditions, meaning that the PA must abandon its request to cease settlement construction. If the PA refuses these conditions, America will cut off its financial aid.
Mesmar continue on to say that the PA president Abbas responded to the American request by saying that the PA will execute its commitments outlined by the Road Map to peace, as well as all the signed agreements. He also added that Abbas also said that ceasing settlement construction is a commitment Israel must execute and not a Palestinian pre-condition.
The Palestinian Attitude
Mesmar said that Abbas informed the US President Obama, Minister Clinton and other senior officials that the Palestinian platform is based on seven points:
1- To cease settlement construction in the west bank, including East Jerusalem, and to accept the two-state solution based on the borders of the year 1967 with a slight exchange of lands and the release of prisoners.
2- Resuming negotiations if the Israeli authority executed all the commitments.
3- The PA is not willing to face and confront the US President Obama or the American Congress, the PA sees Palestine in the UN and its organizations as a supportive step to preserve the two-state solution, the same as the decisions of the Human rights council in Geneva.
4- Holding to the negotiations that Jordan carried out during the meetings held in Jordan between the Palestinian- Israeli political parties.
5- Consider the Palestinian reconciliation a high Palestinian interest.
6- Palestine will commit to the peace process and the negotiations to achieve a two-state solution on the borders of 1967, preserving one authority, legal weapon and sovereignty.
7- Considering the continuation of settlements as imposing new realities on the land that are a real threat to safety, stability and peace in the region.
Third Intifada (uprising)
Mesmar said that Israel is the only one to blame for the failure of the negotiations, "We have been negotiating with Israel for 20 years over the Israeli occupation and the continuous settlement construction, the Israeli refusal to admit international legitimacy for Palestine, as well as the two-state solution."
He also said if Israeli continues with its siege, the Palestinian people will head towards a third intifada.
He concluded, "this situation demands from all the Palestinian forces to end the division as a national necessity and agree on a national program that leads the Palestinian Nation and its forces toward freedom and stability."
