Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. To face reality?
Photo: AFP
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. Initiator of two-state plan?
Photo: Reuters
Saudi envoy: Hamas will talk to Israel
Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to U.S., predicts in CNN interview Hamas leaders would not be able to refrain from talking with 'Israeli occupier,' at least in terms of PA's commitment to Road Map
WASHINGTON – Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States Prince Turki al-Faisal said Sunday that the Palestinian Authority led by Hamas will have to fall into line with the PA's commitments.
He refused, however, to commit to suspending Saudi aid to the Palestinians, as the U.S. and Europeans did, if Hamas should not implement what is expected of it: recognizing Israel, halting terror and honoring agreements signed by the PA.
In an interview to CNN, the Saudi ambassador said that any group leading the Palestinians will have to get used to the facts of life. There is a Road Map on the table, as well as King Abdullah's peace plan, he said.
He added that the PA committed to both peace issues, and that any new government in the PA would have to deal with these two facts.
Al-Faisal mentioned that it was a Saudi initiative that was approved in an Arab League conference in Beirut in 2002, which calls on Arab states to recognize the State of Israel and establish full relations between the Arab states and Israel as part of Israel's withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
We invented the two-state solution, al-Faisal said, adding that according to Abdullah's plan presented to the Arab League, there will be a commitment to Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace, once the Israelis withdraw from Palestinian soil.
'Hamas cannot escape reality'
The ambassador noted that Hamas' victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections did not bring the Saudi plan to an end, and added that the Palestinians, according to all polls, expressed their desire to reach a two-state solution. Hamas, if and when it takes over the PA leadership, will have to deal with the issue, he said.
It is not an issue they can avoid, he said, adding that they cannot escape reality, the need for electricity supply and free movement of the people. They will have to talk to the Israeli occupier about these issues, he said.
Referring the possibility of suspending economic aid to a PA led by Hamas, the Saudi ambassador said that one should not put the cart before the horse. The United States and the Europeans still support the Palestinian Authority, as long as an interim government is in charge of things, he said, adding that the composition of the new government is still unclear.
Saudi Arabia currently provides the Palestinians with approximately USD 200 million through the Arab League, in addition to a higher sum supplied through U.N. institutions.
