PA: Cyprus initiative to revive the peace process
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu sits next to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House in September 2010. (AFP/Time Sloan)BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Sources in the Palestinian Authority revealed Tuesday that Cyprus has pushed an initiative to revive the peace process between Palestinian and Israeli leadership.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades reportedly phoned his Palestinian counterpart on Monday and briefed him on the initiative before talking to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
Sources told Ma’an that the initiative is “European and Cypriot,” and includes an invitation to both Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Netenyahu to separately address EU leaders at a future summit in Brussels.
Palestinian leadership is still studying the initiative, but emphasized that it wouldn’t stand as a replacement for a French initiative .
The Cyprus initiative would be implemented by the end of the year if it is agreed upon by the two sides.
Netanyahu accepted the invitation to address the EU on Tuesday during a one-day visit to Cyprus, Israeli media reported.
In June Abbas welcomed proposals by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius’ regarding the peace process.
The move came after Fabius attempted to revive efforts to advance a resolution on resolving the ongoing Israeli occupation in the United Nations Security Council in May.
The UN draft solution had initially failed months prior after Palestinian leadership disagreed with resolution’s final amendments.
The original resolution set a two-year timetable for concluding a peace treaty, without mentioning the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israeli leadership largely rejected Fabius’ attempts at the time, Netanyahu saying: “In the international proposals that have been suggested to us — which they are actually trying to force upon us — there is no real reference to Israel’s security needs or our other national interests.”
In March, shortly before the Israeli election, Netanyahu said that he would not allow a Palestinian state if reelected.
While the PM reneged his statement after being reelected, the majority of his far-right government publicly opposes the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Netanyahu also vowed he would never allow the Palestinians to establish a capital in occupied East Jerusalem and pledged to build “thousands” of settler homes in the city, which are illegal under international law.
Peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leadership have been ongoing for decades and are largely viewed by Palestinians as having failed to make any progress towards ending the nearly 50 year military occupation by Israel.
The most recent spate of negotiations led by the US collapsed in April 2014.
Source: www.maannews.com