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Palestinian Officials Slam Sharon's Remarks on West Bank, Jerusalem

Posted on: Sunday, 3 July 2005, 09:00 CDT

Text of report by Muhammad Abu-Khudayr from Jerusalem headlined "Dr Urayqat: Washington and the Quartet Must Expedite the Implementation of the road map", published by Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds on 2 July

Samir Hulaylah, secretary-general of the Council of Ministers, has said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's statements are not surprising to us and do not scare us. He noted that Sharon's statements indicate that he does not want peace. Hulaylah also noted that Sharon's remarks are rejected not only by us, but also by the Europeans and the United States. A few days ago, the US Administration, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, rejected [Sharon's remarks] by saying that we will not accept turning the withdrawal from Gaza into the final point; rather it must be the starting point for making progress in the peace process. Hulaylah added that there will be a diplomatic, legal, and political confrontation with regard to the West Bank and Jerusalem.

In an exclusive statement to Al-Quds, Hulaylah said: "We will not permit any changes to the status of Jerusalem and the West Bank, and we will fight Judaization attempts through all legal and political means." He noted that all settlement activities will remain illegal and their fate will be the same as the settlements in the Gaza Strip. He explained that the Palestinian leadership does not see any change in Sharon's position, and realizes that he is not interested in the peace process. Rather, Sharon seeks to consolidate his unilateral measures, talks to no one but himself, and implements whatever he wants; thus ignoring all charters, laws, and international and bilateral agreements. Hulaylah added: "Nevertheless, our position is strong in light of the justice of our cause. We are determined to retrieve our rights armed with international consensus on the need to put an end to the occupation."

Dr Sa'ib Urayqat, head of the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department, has said: "We view with great concern Sharon's statements, especially since he is now stressing that the objective of the withdrawal is to replace the road map and not be part of it. Urayqat added that Sharon is practically seeking to torpedo the peace process and not give it a chance. Moreover, Sharon is evading the final-status negotiations on settlements, Jerusalem, refugees, the right to return, and borders even before they begin. Urayqat explained that although the United States and the Quartet are saying that the withdrawal is part of the road map, we hear the Israeli Government announce the opposite and implement a series of settlement projects throughout the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Urayqat has called on the Quartet and the United States to translate their words into deeds by presenting mechanisms for the implementation of the road map, setting timetables, and [dispatching] monitoring teams so as to expedite the implementation of the road map immediately after Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip and settlements in the northern West Bank.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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