WEST BANK/ OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Agencies)
The Palestinians intend to ask the United Nations Security Council to recognize their independence, a senior official said on Sunday, while Israeli ministers warned against taking one-sided steps towards statehood as efforts to revive the Middle East peace efforts flounder.
"We have reached a decision... to go to the U.N. Security Council to ask for recognition of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and with June 1967 borders," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.
" We have reached a decision... to go to the U.N. Security Council to ask for recognition of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and with June 1967 borders " Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat "We're going to seek support from EU countries and Russia and other countries" for the measure, he said.
Erakat's comments came amid growing frustration among the Palestinians with so-far ineffective U.S. efforts to relaunch peace negotiations with Israel that were suspended during the Gaza Strip war at the turn of the year.
They mark the latest in a series of options that the Palestinians have warned they could take if the Middle East peace process remained stalled.
Others include unilaterally declaring independence, asking the U.N. to determine final borders of their promised state, dissolving the Palestinian Authority and seeking equal rights within Israel. |
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Israel warns " This is a hostile initiative aimed at ending any chance of peace negotiations. If they go for a unilateral declaration it should be followed by the extension of our control over C areas " Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau Meanwhile Israeli ministers warned the Palestinians that "unilateral steps will not lead to the results we are hoping to achieve," Vice Premier Silvan Shalom told reporters before the weekly cabinet meeting. "The only result should be direct negotiations."
Palestinian officials have in recent weeks touted a number of steps in the face of the fledgling peace efforts, including a unilateral declaration of statehood and asking the U.N. Security Council to determine the final borders of the state.
Hardline Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau said that if the Palestinians took unilateral steps, the Israeli army should retake areas in the occupied West Bank that are currently under Palestinian control.
"This is a hostile initiative aimed at ending any chance of peace negotiations. If they go for a unilateral declaration it should be followed by the extension of our control over C areas," Landau said.
Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein said the move "showed that among several Palestinian leaders still persists the belief that achievements can be made through militancy and terror."
"I hope the international community does not cooperate with this and makes clear that the only approach is direct negotiations," he told AFP. |
