Israel Matzav

Quartet meeting canceled but UN says 'Palestinians' ready for reichlet

The Middle East quartet has canceled (the article doesn't make it sound definite, but Israel Radio is reporting canceled) a meeting that was to be held in Berlin on Friday at which the quartet was widely expected to endorse the idea of a 'Palestinian state' based upon the 1967 borders with agreed upon changes.

While there was much expectation that the Quartet would meet in Berlin on Friday, that meeting – already postponed once – does not look as if it will take place. The US – which along with the EU, Russia and the UN makes up the Quartet – is reportedly uninterested in the meeting at this time, concerned that declaring parameters along the 1967 armistice lines would unnecessarily antagonize Israel and not necessarily bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

The position of a number of key players in the EU has been, however, that this move would lure the Palestinians back to talks. There is also a feeling among some in the EU that if the Quartet declared these parameters now, the Palestinians might be dissuaded from pressing for recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN in September.

Netanyahu said that while some people believe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the key to stability in the region, “it is not true.”

It was important to solve the conflict, “to prevent the emergence of a binational state,” he said.

The EU’s ambassador to Israel, Andrew Standley, told Netanyahu that the EU was concerned by the lack of progress in the diplomatic process.

“We believe that the present [regional] context makes progress on the peace process all the more necessary, and we urge the parties concerned to take the steps needed to allow negotiations to be resumed.”

On the other hand, the UN has determined that the 'Palestinians' are ready to have a reichlet.

The Palestinian Authority is ready to govern a state of its own, according to a report published Tuesday by the office of UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Robert Serry, AFP reported.

The report, which will be submitted to Palestinian donor nations at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, said that in six areas where the UN is most engaged there are sufficient governmental functions to establish a state.

The report, however stressed that it would be difficult for the Palestinians to make further progress while peace talks remained stalled and Israeli "occupation" continued.

Well, don't declare a 'state' and then expect to have 'peace talks'! What's left to discuss?

Serry praised Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in a statement accompanying the report.

"This is a decisive period," he said, warning that progress could be retarded or even unravelled without more Israeli cooperation and a return to negotiations.
Fayyad will present the report. He was expected to present facts and figures to show how his Palestinian Authority has used hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign assistance over the past two years to create justice, education, energy, health, water, security and housing services.

But no jobs. They're real good at spending money. They're lousy at making it. What could go wrong?

Labels: Abu Mazen, Middle East quartet, Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, Robert Serry, Salam Fayyad

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:07 PM