Abbas to EU: Palestine recognition not impediment to peace
In EU speech, PA President Abbas says he remains undaunted in seeking statehood, calls on EU to recognize Palestine; PA 'keen on negotiations,' Abbas says, but stresses necessity for broad international mediation; while Slovenia may unilaterally recognize Palestinian state, EU may seek closer ties through association agreement.
While Vice President Mike Pence was speaking at the Knesset in Jerusalem as part of his visit to the region, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas demanded that European leaders "recognize the state of Palestine," adding that it would not impede peace negotiations.
Speaking at the European Union's Brussels headquarters as part of his meeting with the bloc's foreign ministers and top diplomat Federica Mogherini, the PA leader reiterated his long-standing public position that he remained a staunch proponent of a peace settlement that could only be reached by way of negotiations.
Referring to the future of the peace process, Abbas said, "Various statements made recently do not divert us from our staunch belief that the only way to achieve peace between Israel and us is negotiations with international mediation. Despite the sanctions, we're committed to combating terrorism and extremism, both in our region and around the world."
Abbas further stressed that the PA was still committed to all of the agreements it had signed with Israel, but raised his well-known condition in saying, "We demand Israel meet its own commitments under these agreements. They cannot be implemented by only one party.
"We wish to preserve the state institutions in the Palestinian territories until we reach statehood, living in security and stability alongside Israel. The United Nations' General Assembly and Security Council have made hundreds of resolutions, and we merely want them to be carried out on the ground," Abbas said before aiming a barb at the EU's member states for not yet recognizing a Palestinian state despite their unequivocal support for the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.
"With all due respect to positions voiced by Europe, which we consider a partner for peace, we demand these countries recognize the State of Palestine," he stated.
"It will not be an impediment to peace. It will, however, provide an impetus for Palestinians to be patient in waiting for peace, and help motivate people to preserve the culture of peace."
Speaking on the issue of cutting the American budgeting for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Abbas said the agency was created to deal with the refugee issue and it provides them with whichever assistance is necessary to carry on with their lives.
"If people are cast out to fend for themselves, they may be exposed to terrorist organizations or immigrate. And no one wants them to immigrate to their country," he opined.
Touching on his Fatah organization's relationship with Hamas, Abbas said the Palestinian leadership's ranks have stuck to completing the strained reconciliation process to achieve one state with one law and one weapon. "That is the way to creating the State of Palestine in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and east Jerusalem—the capital of the state."
EU supports Palestinian ambition of east Jerusalem as capital, balks on outright recognition
The European Union assured President Abbas it supported his ambition to have east Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian state, in the bloc's latest rejection of President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
At his meeting in Brussels with EU foreign ministers, Abbas repeated his call for east Jerusalem as capital as he urged EU governments to recognize a state of Palestine immediately, arguing that this would not disrupt negotiations with Israel on a peace settlement for the region.
While Abbas made no reference to Trump's move on Jerusalem or Vice President Pence's visit to the city on Monday, his presence at the EU headquarters in Brussels was seized on by European officials as a chance to restate opposition to Trump's Dec. 6 decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
Ttop diplomat Mogherini, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, called on those involved in the process to speak and act "wisely", with a sense of responsibility.
"I want to reassure President Abbas of the firm commitment of the European Union to the two-state solution with Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two states," Mogherini said.
Mogherini also promised that the EU, a preeminent donor to the PA, will continue its financial assistance after the partial freezing of US funds to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees—a punishment which, according to Abbas, amounts to "abandoning Palestinian refugees".
A meeting of the International Donor Group for Palestine is scheduled for 31 January in Brussels.
Before Abbas's arrival, she was more outspoken, saying, "Clearly there is a problem with Jerusalem. That is a very diplomatic euphemism," in reference to Trump's position.
Deputy German Foreign Minister Michael Roth told reporters that Trump's decision had made peace talks harder but said all sides needed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Abbas also struck a more diplomatic tone than in his recent public remarks, including earlier this month when he said he would only accept a broad, internationally-backed panel to broker any peace talks with Israel.
"We are keen on continuing the way of negotiations," Abbas said. "We are determined to reunite our people and our land."
But his call for the European Union to immediately and officially recognize the state of Palestine was unlikely to be answered, two senior EU diplomats said.
Slovenian decision?
While nine EU governments—including Sweden and Poland—already recognize Palestine, the 28-nation bloc says such recognition must come as part of a peace settlement.
Only Slovenia has recently raised the possibility of recognizing the state of Palestine. A parliamentary committee there is due to consider the issue on Jan. 31, but it remains unclear when parliament could recognize Palestine.
That reflects the European Union's dual role as the Palestinians' biggest aid donor and Israel's biggest trade partner, even if EU governments reject what they deem illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
The European Union also wants the Palestinians to remain open to a US-led peace plan, expected to be presented soon by Jason Greenblatt, Trump's Middle East envoy and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
Abbas said there was "no contradiction between recognition (of Palestine) and the resumption of (peace) negotiations."
Instead, France wants to push the European Union to offer closer trade ties through a so-called EU association agreement, an EU treaty covering unfettered access to the bloc's 500 million consumers, aid and closer political and cultural ties.
"We want to say to Mahmoud Abbas that we want to move ... towards an association agreement and to start the process already," said France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
But offering an EU association agreement to the Palestinians was also fraught with difficulties, diplomats said.
Under EU rules, the agreements need to be agreed with sovereign states. France argues that the EU has an association agreement with Kosovo, whose independence is not recognized by all countries, including EU member Spain.
