Palestinians: Normalization with Arab world not at our expense
Senior PA official warns Israel is trying to shirk its responsibilities through temporary freeze on settlement construction. 'These are hollow initiatives that must not come at our expense,' he says
"Israel is trying to open up to the Arab world 'at the expense' of the Palestinians by using hollow initiatives," the Palestinian Authority said on Sunday in response to Israel's hopes to normalize relations with Arab nations in return for ordering a temporary freeze of all construction in the West Bank.
The PA called the Israeli plan an attempt to shirk the commitments it made to the Palestinians, and said
it was inconceivable that the Arab world would open its gates in return for a three-month freeze.
The Palestinian concerns arose following recent reports of proposals being made to Israel as part of efforts to promote the normalization of ties with the Arab nations.
"This is not the first time Israel has tried to open to the Arab world at the expense of the Palestinians using hollow initiatives. We will fight this attempt. The Arab world should open up to Israel only when the last of the settlers leaves the occupied territories and the last settlement is dismantled," a senior Palestinian Authority official told Ynet.
Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, addressed the settlement-normalization issue over the course of the weekend.
"The Obama administration understands that the settlements are not the only issue. The Arab nations must move forward with the normalization. Israel and the US are working towards a compromise on the question of construction (in the West Bank) that will allow for normal life to continue in the settlements," Oren said.
The demands of Israel, and Israel's demands, will be at the center of the upcoming meeting between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and US special envoy to the Middle East, Senator George Mitchell, in London on Monday.
A senior official in Barak's office said over the weekend that Israel is willing to take steps to push the dialogue efforts forwards, but that this is not about freezing the settlements.
The official also said that the two would discuss efforts to advance negotiations ahead of possible dialogue with the Palestinians. Officials in Jerusalem also said that Mitchell has discussed Israel's demands with US President Barack Obama.
Another concerned party is the Yesha Council, which called for an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss what the council called a de-facto freeze on construction in the West Bank.
