It comes as little surprise that Palestinian-Israeli negotiations are at an impasse. The lesson after nearly two decades of bilateral negotiations is that direct talks alone are not enough to guarantee peace. A principled, unshakable commitment to international law is also required.
International law sets the benchmark for a just peace and helps ensure that Palestinians and Israelis are treated equally. It also maps a path toward lasting reconciliation rooted in a culture of rights and mutual respect.
One of the most serious rights violations occurring in the occupied Palestinian territory is the ongoing construction of Israeli settlements. Involving the large-scale theft of Palestinian land and water, Israeli settlements stand at the heart of an apartheid system whose network of segregated roads, barbed-wire fences, concrete walls, permits and checkpoints reinforce the systemic discrimination and institutionalized violence that Palestinians face under occupation.
By eating up what little Palestinian land is left, Israeli settlements render a viable Palestinian state impossible - posing the greatest threat to the two-state solution. Without an immediate and comprehensive settlement freeze, there will be no Palestinian state left to negotiate and no two-state solution to speak of.
The writer is the chief Palestinian negotiator.
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/28/AR2010102805956_pf.html
No comments:
Post a Comment