Palestinians uncompromising on Israeli obligations, but their own obligations are another matter

The Palestinians won't compromise on their demange for a settlement freeze:

 

"There are no middle-ground solutions for the settlement issue: either settlement activity stops or it doesn't stop," Saeb Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.

 

 But when it is a matter of incitement or terror that's quite a different story. Try this out:

 

"There are no middle-ground solutions for the terrorism issue: either terrorism stops or it doesn't stop,"

 

"There are no middle-ground solutions for the incitement issue: either incitement activity stops or it doesn't stop,"

Why is that less reasonable?

 

Ami Isseroff

 

 

Palestinians reject any Israel-U.S. settlement deal
Sun Jul 12, 2009 3:35am EDT
By Ali Sawafta

 

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians reject any deal between Israel and the United States that would allow even limited Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, a top Palestinian negotiator said on Sunday.

 

"There are no middle-ground solutions for the settlement issue: either settlement activity stops or it doesn't stop," Saeb Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.

 

Erekat said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed that message in a letter on Saturday to U.S. President Barack Obama.

 

Erekat was responding to reports that Israel and the United States were discussing a compromise that would allow some building in existing settlements under what Israel terms "natural growth" to accommodate expanding families.

 

A U.S. official denied on Wednesday a report in the Israeli daily Maariv that the Obama administration agreed work could continue on 2,500 housing units whose construction had begun, despite its call for a total freeze to spur peace efforts.

 

The report followed talks in London last week between George Mitchell, Obama's special Middle East envoy, and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak aimed at healing a rift over continued settlement activity.

 

The U.S. State Department said Mitchell was expected in the region "soon" for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

 

Barak has been seeking a deal with the United States that would include initial steps by Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in return for limiting settlement activity.

 

PEACE TALKS

 

Palestinians have said they would not revive stalled peace talks with Israel unless its settlement activities stopped.

 

"If settlement continues Israel will be allowed to build one thousand units here and two thousand units there, which will lead Arabs and Palestinians to believe that the American administration is incapable of swaying Israel to halt its settlement activities," Erekat said.

 

"The message is clear: settlements should stop immediately."

 

Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in a 1967 war. Palestinians say Jewish settlements, deemed illegal by the World Court, would deny them a viable and contiguous state.

 

Western officials said the United States was moving in the direction of making allowances so Israel could finish off at least some existing projects which are close to completion or bound by private contracts that cannot be broken.

 

Israel estimates that 2,500 units are in the process of being built and cannot be stopped under Israeli law.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under U.S. pressure, has pledged not to build new settlements in the West Bank.

 

(Writing by Joseph Nasr, Editing by Myra MacDonald)