Haaretz
Cheshvan 28, 5766
UNITED NATIONS -
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa warned that Israel's new
settlements, separation fence and attempts to annex Jerusalem threaten
"the window of opportunity" for a Palestinian state.
In a Tuesday
speech to the UN General Assembly on the International Day of Solidarity
with the Palestinian People, Al-Kidwa urged the international community
"to prevent this from happening and to safeguard the two-state solution"
which envisions Israel living peacefully beside a new state of
Palestine.
He called Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip in
September "an important development" but said it is critical that this is
followed by a return to the so-called road map to Mideast peace, starting
with Israel's withdrawal from cities and other areas to pre-September 2000
positions and the release of prisoners and detainees.
The so-called
quartet - the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and
Russia - has drafted a road map to prod Israel and the Palestinians into a
negotiated settlement, with simultaneous steps for each
side.
Al-Kidwa accused Israel of continuing to build the West Bank
barrier, which juts into Palestinian territory, despite an advisory
opinion of the International Court of Justice.
Israel is also
continuing to construct settlements in violation of international law,
U.N. resolutions and the road map, and is carrying out "illegal measures
in and around East Jerusalem which aim to Judaize and de fact annex the
city," he said. Many Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of
a new Palestinian state.
"Israel is thus working relentlessly to
create conditions on the ground, which, if allowed to continue, threaten
to close the window of opportunity to achieve the two-state solution,"
Al-Kidwa said.
He stressed that "whether or not we succeed in
returning to the road map, we must under all circumstances ensure the real
cessation of settlement activities and the construction of the
(separation) wall and the measures in Jerusalem."
"We are in need
of action from everyone," he said, including the quartet must take
"specific and practical positions" to ensure that this
happens.
Al-Kidwa also emphasized Palestinian opposition to "any
interference by Israel or by any other party" in Jan. 25 parliamentary
elections.
The elections should be open to all Palestinians and to
all political groups in the entire Palestinian territory, including East
Jerusalem, he said. "Israel should not create obstacles to any of these
important political processes, particularly with regard to the freedom of
movement and the participation of Jerusalemites."