Jerusalem, September 01: Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday warned the Palestinians against a plan to establish a state by 2011 regardless of the outcome of the Middle East peace process.
“If the unilateral initiative presented by (Palestinian prime minister) Salam Fayyad is promoted, Israel will respond,” Lieberman was quoted by his office as telling EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair.
“The Palestinians’ unilateral initiatives do not contribute to a positive dialogue between the parties,” the ultra-nationalist minister said.
Fayyad last week unveiled a plan under which his government planned to create a de facto Palestinian state in two years as international efforts to restart Middle East peace talks grind on.
Fayyad said that the Palestinian government is determined to build state institutions without waiting for the outcome of peace talks with Israel.
Speaking at a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah after meeting Solana on Monday, Fayyad said it is his government’s responsibility to build a Palestinian state.
“If Israel says this is a unilateral step, then it is a positive step. We must not forget that the main goal of the diplomatic process is to end the occupation and build a state,” he said.
“How can they describe our action as negative if they truly believe in the two-state solution?”
The United States is attempting to put the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations back on track after the latest round of talks was suspended in December following Israel’s offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Lieberman again said that any peace talks should not be time-limited.
“A positive dynamic must be created between both sides, without committing to target dates for an overall arrangement,” he said.
–Agencies