"Future assistance and cooperation could be severely and irreparably harmed if the Palestinian leadership continues on its path of essentially acting in contravention of all signed agreements, some of which regulate economic relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in an assertive speech at the Palestinian Donors Conference held at the United Nations. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who sat three seats away from Ayalon, showed no emotion.
The conference was held following intensive diplomatic efforts in New York to prevent the Palestinian Authority from approaching the UN in an effort to receive international recognition as an independent state. Yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with EU Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton, along with Quartet representatives, in an effort to formulate a statement that would persuade the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table with Israel. So far, these efforts have not been fruitful, and the Palestinians are determined to continue with their initiative at the UN.
At the same time, Minister of Defense Ehud Barak has held discussions with Fayyad on "all of the political and defense related issues that are at stake," according to a Ministry of Defense statement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama on Wednesday afternoon (Israel time), on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, to discuss possible scenarios resulting from the Palestinian action.
"One-way path"
Obama and the US State Department separately called on Israel not to impose economic sanctions on the Palestinians in retaliation for their UN initiative. In an interview, Obama said that any Israeli actions that harm the Palestinians' ability to finance an independent government will end up hurting Israel. Last Thursday, the State Department spokeswoman called on Israel not to cancel any existing agreements with the Palestinians, even if they continue with their plans to turn to the UN.
At the Palestinian Donors Conference last night, representatives of many countries joined Obama in calling on Israel not to impose sanctions on the Palestinians. In talks with these diplomats, Ayalon rejected their request out of hand, saying, "The ball is no longer in our court…if the Palestinians change the game, not just the rules, then Israel also knows how to do this.
"Israel will not act in accordance with the agreements it signed with the Palestinians, for example, the Oslo Accords, while at this very moment the Palestinians are planning to violate these very same agreements," Ayalon told the diplomats in New York.
Ayalon detailed at length how Israel has contributed to GDP growth in the Palestinian Authority over the years in various forms of assistance, and how cooperation with Israel has helped build government institutions in the Palestinian territories. All of this will come to a stop if the Palestinian Authority turns to the UN, Ayalon warned.
"The Palestinian Authority's path of unilateralism and reneging on its commitments bodes extremely ill, not just for a peaceful resolution to our conflict, but for the immediate future," Ayalon said. "The State of Israel signed the Oslo Accords with the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which created the Palestinian Authority. Israel will have absolutely no obligations towards a so-called Palestinian state, especially one created artificially in this building (UN headquarters), in breach of these very accords." Ayalon called on the Palestinians to return immediately to the negotiating table, and requested that the Arab countries should pressure the Palestinians to do so.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 19, 2011
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