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| The Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, who is expected to deliver a letter to his Israeli counterpart. Photograph: Atef Safadi/EPA |
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 April 2012
The Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, is to deliver a letter to his Israeli counterpart in the pair's first ever meeting, setting out the grounds on which the Palestinians are prepared to resume negotiations and warning that the status quo cannot continue.
The letter, from Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, will say the Palestinian Authority (PA), set up under the 1993 Oslo accords, has "lost its raison d'être", according to local media accounts. However, Abbas will not threaten its dissolution, a move advocated by some who say Israel must take full responsibility for the territory it occupies and that the PA provides it with a figleaf.
Instead Abbas warns that the two sides must "avoid sliding towards the one-state option, especially as the current status quo cannot continue". It restates four key issues:
• A Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders.
• A halt to settlement activity.
• The release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
• Adherence to previous agreements.
The letter also demands a positive response from Israel in order for negotiations to resume.
"Israel talks about a two-state solution without taking a single step towards that solution," Abbas told reporters this week while touring Asia.
The letter, in which the president also stresses his commitment to non-violence, has gone through many drafts during which its contents have been subject to international diplomatic pressure. "It has been watered down, especially under pressure from the Americans," said one western diplomat....READ MORE
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