PLO rejects changes to Arab Peace Initiative
Secretary of the PLO Executive Committee Saeb Erekat yesterday renewed the group’s positon which adopts the Arab Peace Initiative, the Anadolu Agency reported.
In a statement, Erekat said: “Israel has to commit to international law, UN Security Council resolutions and the resolutions of the UN General Assembly.”
“All that the Israelis say is nothing more than a public relations stunt. We are used to such remarks uttered by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. His acts on the ground are opposite to his remarks.”
He added: “Peace means changing words to actual procedures. Israel has to stop its policy of imposing new facts on the ground, stop settlement building, stop Judaising Jerusalem, stop extrajudicial executions, stop house demolitions, release prisoners, lift the siege, recognise the 1967 borders and respect signed agreements.”
The Arab Peace Initiative was laid down by Saudi Arabia and adopted by the Arab League in 2002. It was immediately rejected by Israel.
It includes the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, a just solution for refugees, full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights and occupied Lebanese territories in return for normalising relations with Arab countries.
Netanyahu said he would be interested in holding talks about the initiatives as long as amendments could be made to it.
June 1, 2016
Middle East Monitor
For the full story: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160601-mks-urge-government-to-annex-illegal-west-bank-settlement-2/