Erekat calls Europe to recognize Palestinian state

Palestinian chief negotiator and member of Fatah Central Committee, Saeb Erekat, during meetings with several European officials, urged European Union countries to recognize a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders. In meetings with the prime minister of the German state of Hesse, Volker Bouffier, the British Consul General, Sir Vincent Vinn and the representative of Norway to the Palestinian Authority, Tor Wennesland, Erekat stressed that all Israeli actions are indicative of its government’s plan to destroy the peace process. Erekat said that Israel’s expanding settlement activities, especially in occupied East Jerusalem, in defiance of all international laws, and its refusal of US President Barack Obama’s proposal of a two-state solution based on 1967 borders are all indicative of the Israeli shunning of the peace process. He stressed, therefore, that the international community must support the Palestinian quest for membership in the UN, especially that 21 countries in the European Union, as well as Norway, have not yet recognized a Palestinian state with 1967 borders. Erekat also denounced the Israeli government’s actions of mass punishment against Palestinian prisoners, in clear violation of international law and the Fourth 1949 Geneva Convention. When asked about the reconciliation, Erekat said it is a high Palestinian priority and all parties must be able to overcome any obstacles to achieve the reconciliation in full.