Jerusalem - The Palestinian leadership bowed to Israeli and international pressure last night and agreed to refrain from declaring statehood next Tuesday, the end of the five-year "interim" period for peace negotiations with Israel, writes David Horovitz.
Meeting in Gaza, members of the 124-member Palestine Central Council resolved to continue their discussions on the issue of statehood over the coming weeks - beyond May 4th. Palestinian officials said they would await the results of Israel's May 17th elections, in the hope that the peace process would be given new momentum by a new Israeli government.