Israel must choose between settlements and peace

"As Abbas stated in his address to the United Nations: We are facing a “moment of truth.” If the resolution to the conflict the international community seeks is two sovereign, viable and democratic states framed by the 1967 border, we all know what has to be done. If, on the contrary, the goal is to facilitate Israel’s confiscation of as much of Palestinian land as possible and to consolidate Israel’s settlement enterprise, then it would make no sense to waste our people’s trust and patience by participating in such a failed exercise." Xavier Abu Eid, an adviser to the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?ID=251178&R=R1

Israel must choose between settlements and peace

By XAVIER ABU EID
12/28/2011 21:53

2011 showed the world that creating positive momentum in support of Palestinian self-determination is possible

The year 2011 showed Palestinians and the rest of the world that creating positive momentum in support of Palestinian self-determination and statehood is possible. After years of trying to make Palestine disappear from the world map, Israel witnessed an unstoppable wave of recognition for the state of Palestine on the 1967 border, with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Today Palestine is a member of UNESCO, and the international community now has a clear mandate to protect our national and cultural heritage in addition to its responsibility and obligation to support Palestinian state-building. This international support for Palestine is an investment in peace that does not contradict the fact that a two-state solution is predicated on negotiations.

On the contrary, it strengthens and preserves the prospects for a two-state solution on the 1967 border ...READ MORE