Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, has raised the alarm in Washington D.C. against the incoming Netanyahu government.Erekat wrote in an editorial column published in Saturday's edition of The Washington Post that Israel's commitment to peace is in doubt, while it is being made a priority by U.S. President Barack Obama as part of America's "more integrated approach" to Middle East policy.
"Peace is not a word that sits comfortably with the Israeli right, which will dominate Israel's new government, even with Labor's decision this week to join it," he wrote.
Taking a swipe at the new coalition, Erekat added, "Among its ranks are those who have long opposed peace with Palestinians, no matter the cost; who use the cover of religion to advocate extremist views and who have supported the expulsion of Palestinians or now devise loyalty tests to achieve the same result."
The PA negotiator bitterly noted that incoming Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu has proposed an "economic peace" rather than accept the notion of a two-state solution from the outset, but Erekat stopped short of issuing an open ultimatum. "Palestinians have not engaged in years of negotiations to see them fail. But neither is our patience unlimited," he warned.
Among the list of "musts" that Israel is expected to comply with -- ending with the establishment of a PA state based on the pre-1967 borders -- is "an immediate and complete freeze on settlement activity, including all natural growth and the construction of Israel's '[security] wall."
The PA chief negotiator warns that "without a settlement freeze, there will be no two-state solution left to speak of."