On the day Israel offered yet more concessions for peace, the Palestine Liberation Organization further entrenched its position insisting any future Palestinian state be built on all the land captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.
It stressed the Palestinian people “hanging on to their legitimate national rights, first and foremost the complete Israeli withdrawal from all lands that have been occupied by Israel since June 5 1967, the right of return, the right to self determination as well as the right to independence and establish the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The PLO is central to the discussions with Israel. The key Palestinian interlocutor, Saeb Erekat, is the head of the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department. The PLO was created in 1964 as the umbrella organization for the various Palestinian factions. Many countries recognize the PLO as “the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.” Significantly, several of the constituent members of the PLO were behind many of the terror attacks that rocked Israel over the last 50 years.
Israel is trying hard to ensure the on-off peace talks continue beyond the earmarked nine-month period, which terminates at the end of April. Reports suggest Israel handed the Palestinians a new draft proposal for continuing the talks on March 30. Some newspapers say a settlement freeze may be in the offing, while others are talking up a prisoner release of anywhere from 400 to 1,000 prisoners, as demanded by the Palestinian Authority.
Israel was slated to release some 26 Palestinian murderers from Israel jails this weekend – the fourth and final stage in the release of 104 prisoners – but put the move on ice because of the latest Palestinian intransigence. Palestinian leaders promised disturbances inside Israel’s jails because of the delay.
Issa Qaraqi, PA minister for prisoners affairs, warned that failure to release the prisoners at the end of this month would lead to unrest inside Israeli prisons.
“The prisoners have decided to launch protests if the fourth batch is not freed.”
The window for the Palestinians to come to the table for fruitful parley appears to be closing. Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have begun warning they will not accept any more concessions from Jerusalem when there is nothing in return.
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud) slammed the Palestinians for failing to make concessions in the peace process and for only being interested in releasing terrorists.
“It is clear to all sides that the negotiations are leading nowhere and it good that the Palestinians understand that Israel will not make it concessions without receiving anything in return,” Danon said.
[Photo: World Economic Forum / Wiki Commons]