Ramallah, Muharram 1435/17 November 2013 (MINA) – The Palestinian negotiations team to peace talks with Israel occupation authority explained Friday in a statement their reasons for resignation.
A statement issued by the Negotiations Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization said Saeb Erekat and Muhammad Shtayyeh wrote President Mahmoud Abbas several day ago explaining that they would not be able to continue fulfilling their duties as negotiators, and thereby requesting that the President relieve them of their positions.
“This request was motivated by a number of factors, including: an unprecedented escalation of colonization and oppression against Palestine and the Palestinian people by the State of Israel; a lack of seriousness from the Israeli occupation government about reaching a two-state solution; and the Israeli government’s failure to fulfill commitments undertaken before the resumption of direct negotiations on July 29, 2013,” it said.
It added that “of particular concern was the Israeli government’s political use of the release of pre-Oslo prisoners in order to advance its illegal and profoundly damaging settlement enterprise throughout the occupied State of Palestine, WAFA, Palestinian News and Info Agency quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
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This, combined with the false allegation that an agreement between the PLO and Israel was made in order to exchange prisoners for settlements, has demonstrated bad faith and a severe lack of integrity on the Israeli side.”
It said that “the resignation of the Palestinian negotiators was presented after Israel had already approved 6,296 settlement units during the first three months of negotiations. This figure is higher than the total amount of settlement units approved during the five months prior to the resumption of negotiations (5,577 units).”
It said that “the resignation was not presented as a response to the latest announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Housing to advance almost 20,000 settlement units, but as a response to several policies that continue to undermine the prospects of a negotiated two-state solution, including accelerated settlement activity. PM Netanyahu’s call to ‘reconsider steps for evaluating planning potential’ in illegal Israeli settlements does not halt the thousands of units Israel has approved, and continues to approve, in the occupied State of Palestine.”
According to the statement, “This resignation relates only to the current negotiations team: it does not invalidate the commitment made by the Palestine Liberation Organization to continue negotiations until the end of the 9 month period agreed with Israel and the US, which ends on April 29, 2014.”
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It added: “The Palestinian leadership will continue its process of internal consultations and its contacts with the Arab League, Russia, the European Union, the United Nations and the United States, along with other international partners, in order to advance the cause for a just peace between Israel and Palestine, which includes ending the 1967 Israeli occupation and reaching a solution to all final status issues based on international law.”
The decision was made due to ongoing Israeli illegitimate settlement activities
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated Wednesday that the Palestinian negotiators to peace talks with Israel have resigned. The decision was made due to ongoing Israeli violations, topped by its illegitimate settlement activities, the Arabs48 News Website has reported.
Abbas said that the negotiations team said that Israel is ongoing with its invasions, assaults and violations topped by its ongoing illegitimate settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied West Bank, and in occupied Jerusalem.
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Talking to an Egyptian TV station, Abbas hinted that the resignations “would not cause a halt to direct talks with Tel Aviv”, adding that the Palestinian Authority “would either convince the negotiators to resume their duties or form a new negotiations team.”
After three years of stalemate, direct talks between Tel Aviv and Ramallah were resumed in late July after direct intervention, and pressure, from the United States.
The talks were halted in September of 2010 due to Israel’s illegitimate settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied territories in direct violation of International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
However, even after direct talks were resumed in July this year, Israel continued to approve thousands of units in its illegal settlements in and around occupied Jerusalem, and in various parts of the West Bank.
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Israel also continued its invasions that led to dozens of casualties among the Palestinians, and continue to demolish homes, especially in occupied Jerusalem, and continued to issue orders against dozens of homes in the city.
Tel Aviv also refuses to recognize the legitimate Palestinian rights of independence, considers it has “the right to build settlements”, and refuses to hold talks on core issues such as borders, natural resources, Jerusalem, and the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees. (T/P02/E1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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