Palestinian PM sees statehood by August 2011
JERUSALEM: Palestinian premier Salam Fayyad predicts a Palestinian state will be established by August 2011 through "positive facts on the ground," in an interview published on Friday in an Israeli newspaper.
"The birth of a Palestinian state will be celebrated as a day of joy by the entire community of nations," Fayyad told the Haaretz daily.
"The time for this baby to be born will come," he said, "and we estimate it will come around 2011," the prime minister said. "That is our vision and a reflection of our will to exercise our right to live in freedom and dignity in the country (where) we are born, alongside the State of Israel, in complete harmony."
Fayyad’s August 2011 target is based on a decision taken by the Palestinian leadership in August 2009 to establish a state within two years. Since then Fayyad has been building institutions for a de-facto state.
"If for one reason or another, by August 2011 (the plan) will have failed … I believe we will have amassed such credit, in the form of positive facts on the ground, that the reality is bound to force itself on the political process to produce the outcome," Haaretz quoted him as saying.
Palestinians have repeatedly said they will unilaterally declare a state or ask for UN recognition of their independence amid growing frustration with so-far ineffective US efforts to relaunch peace negotiations with Israel.
The talks were suspended during the Gaza war of December 2008-January 2009.Israel, however, has warned of a tough response to a unilateral Palestinian declaration.
US President Barack Obama’s administration has so far been unable to convince Israelis and Palestinians to resume their peace talks, amid deep disagreements on the thorny issue of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
The Palestinians insist on a freeze of all settlement activity before talks restart, while Israel is offering a temporary and limited ease on construction, saying the issue will be resolved during final-status negotiations. –AFP
