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No Secret U.S.-PA Deal for Recognizing Unilaterally Declared Palestinian State

[Jerusalem Post] Khaled Abu Toameh and Tovah Lazaroff - A senior PA official said PA leader Abbas was surprised to hear on Sunday from the Israeli media about secret understandings between Prime Minister Fayad and President Obama over U.S. recognition of Fayad's plan for an independent Palestinian state. A source close to Fayad said that no such secret deal had been reached with the Americans. While portions of Fayad's plan for statehood have been welcomed by the Israeli government because of its emphasis on building infrastructure and bolstering the Palestinian security forces as well as its economy, Israel has opposed any move by the Palestinians to unilaterally declare a state. "The emergence of a Palestinian state will only be the result of consensus and successful negotiations," Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said last week at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Zalman Shoval said a unilateral declaration of statehood "would make null and void" all past agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, including those regarding security. "It should be a major effort of Israeli foreign policy to...make it clear that Palestinian statehood must be based on mutual agreements," he said.
2009-11-09 06:00:00
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