Israel Matzav

'Palestinian' unilateral declaration of independence may date to 2005

The genesis of the 'Palestinian' unilateral declaration of independence dates to a 2005 meeting between Abu Mazen and then Brazilian President Lula de Silva.

The Unilateral Declaration of Independence, or UDI, initiative was reportedly born in May 2005, when Abbas attended the summit of South American and Arab states in Brazil, where he met with President Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva. Lula is said to have promised Abbas that, toward the completion of his second term ending January 1, 2011, he would rally support among Latin American states for the Palestinians to declare independence at the United Nations.

By working with Lula to this end, Abbas reneged on promises he made to U.S. President George W. Bush that he would seek a negotiated peace with Israel. "Let us start implementing the road map," he said upon being elected president of the Palestinian Authority in 2005, "and in parallel let us start discussing the permanent-status issues so that we can end, once and for all, the historic conflict between us."

It is worth noting here that Abbas would likely not have become president of the PA without Bush's help. After long-time Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died of a mysterious illness in November 2004, the Bush administration embraced Abbas as the next leader, owing primarily to his stated position on the peace process.

...

Abbas leveraged Fayyadism to its fullest in the Southern Hemisphere. In November 2009 he visited Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay. During Abbas' visit that year in Venezuela, the Chavez government formally announced its support for Palestinian statehood.

Lula, for his part, continued to advocate for Abbas. In March 2010, he toured Israel and the Palestinian territories, criticizing the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Last December, as expected, just before Lula's term was set to expire, Brazil recognized an independent Palestinian state.

What followed was a flood of Latin American support for recognition of Palestinian statehood. Argentina quickly expressed its support for a Palestinian state with pre-1967 war lines while Ecuador and Bolivia soon recognized Palestine as a sovereign state, but not explicitly defined by the 1967 lines.

In January 2011, Chile, Guyana, and Paraguay joined the parade. In February, Suriname jumped aboard, followed by Uruguay in March. In June, the Dominican Republic announced its support, and then Peru joined in July. The unilateral initiative was gaining momentum.

Read the whole thing. I don't know why anyone ever would have thought that the 'Palestinians' would negotiate seriously.

Labels: Abu Mazen, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Unilateral declaration of independence (UDI)

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:47 AM