THE CHIEF Palestinian negotiator has rejected renewed negotiations with Israel until it freezes settlements, countering a US call for talks without conditions.
Saeb Erekat insisted that Israel must honour its commitment under the 2003 roadmap that calls for a “halt to all settlement activity” in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He also said talks should resume where they were when suspended in December 2008.
His stand on settlements was backed by Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who called settlements “a major obstacle” to peace talks, and his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle.
His statement is significant as US envoy George Mitchell is set to meet EU, UN and Russian officials at a gathering of the Quartet this week. While the EU has called for a total freeze, the US, which initially put forward this demand, softened its position due to Israeli rejection.
A frustrated Mr Mitchell said last week that under US law, the Obama administration “can withhold support on loan guarantees to Israel”. Finance minister Yuval Steinitz admitted that guarantees for 2010 and 2011 had already been agreed without conditions.
In 1991, George Bush senior temporarily suspended the approval of $10 billion in guarantees in order to put pressure on Israel to attend the international peace conference in Madrid. Such guarantees permit Israel to secure loans from banks and international institutions on favourable terms.
Meanwhile, two Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli troops on the border between Israel and Gaza.
On the firing of 20 shells into southern Israel last week, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: “Any shooting at our territory will receive an immediate and powerful response.” Three Palestinians died in Israeli air strikes last Thursday although there were no Israeli casualties or damage from mortars fired from Gaza.
