Erekat condemns new Israeli bill

Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Erakat stated: “A Knesset vote to make the boycott of Israeli settlement products punishable by law will send a clear message that Israel is not committed to a two–state solution” Dr. Saeb Erekat, strongly condemned a new bill introduced in the Israeli Parliament (the “Knesset”) which would ban all initiatives to boycott the State of Israel, including the boycott of settlement products. “A Knesset vote to make the boycott of Israeli settlement products punishable by law will send a clear message that Israel is not committed to a two–state solution,” stated Dr. Erekat. Dr. Erekat called on the international community to take a strong and principled position on the proposed Israeli law: “Under this new bill, Israel would be empowered to sanction those members of the international community who, in keeping with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, refuse to recognize the illegal situation associated with Israel’s settlement enterprise in occupied Palestinian territory.” Dr. Erekat noted that under international law, colonization is a war crime. Dr. Erekat called on the international community to recognize the State of Palestine on the 1967 border as a way to legitimize Palestine and to stop Israel’s expansionism. “This is not about ‘disputed territories.’ It is about an occupied country and Israel’s attempt to maintain its illegal occupation,” he added. “The Knesset is not only trying to block any return to meaningful negotiations based on the 1967 border, but it is also attempting to make other countries complicit by forcing them to remain silent,” he stated. Dr. Erekat, who just returned from meetings in Washington, D.C. regarding the State of Palestine’s intention to submit an application for United Nations membership, called on all peace-loving countries to support Palestine’s bid to become a member-state of the UN which he argued will help to protect the territorial integrity of the State of Palestine.