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October 16, 2007
Rice: Now is time for Palestinian State
Rice: Now is time for Palestinian state
Saying the time is now for a Palestinian state, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday prodded Israel and the Palestinians to agree at a U.S.-sponsored conference this fall on how and when to start formal peace talks.
In one of her strongest statements yet on the issue, Rice declared that creation of a Palestinian state is a key U.S. interest and urged the two sides to drop contentious demands and reach consensus on a substantive joint statement ahead of the international conference.
"Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Rice told a news conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who she saw on the second of a four-day intense Middle East shuttle diplomacy mission.
"The United States sees the establishment of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution as absolutely essential for the future, not just of Palestinians and Israelis but also for the Middle East and indeed to American interests," she said.
"That's really a message that I think only I can deliver," Rice said, explaining her mission to prepare for the conference to be held in Annapolis, Md. as early as late November.
The secretary is facing daunting challenges in trying to bring the two sides close enough to make the conference worthwhile.
Rice, who expects to return to the region at least once before the conference takes place, played down the chances for any breakthroughs before she traveled here.
Rice met with Israeli officials on Sunday and will see both sides again on Wednesday after visiting Egypt on Tuesday and finally traveling to London to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II in a bid to build support for the meeting among skeptical Arab nations.
In her talks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, she is seeking to bridge wide gaps between Israel and the Palestinians over the declaration to be endorsed in Annapolis that President Bush hopes will lead to negotiations for a final settlement of the long-running conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he does not see the document as a prerequisite for the conference. He wants it as vague as possible on critical so-called "final status issues" like the borders of a Palestinian state, the status of disputed Jerusalem, Israeli settlements and Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinians, meanwhile, have said they will not attend the conference without a document that contains details on these matters as well as a specific timeline for their resolution. Arab states share the Palestinian concerns.
"No doubt that before we go to (the conference), the document will be ready," said Abbas, whose authority has been limited to the West Bank since the militant Hamas movement seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.
"The negotiations should not be open-ended, but subject to a certain time period," he added.
Standing next to Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Rice insisted the conference will be "serious and substantive."
"We frankly have better things to do than invite people to Annapolis for a photo op," she said in the first public confirmation from a U.S. official that Washington has chosen the Maryland capital as the venue for the meeting.
Speaking to reporters at her Jerusalem hotel after seeing Abbas, Rice declined to reveal her private discussions with Israeli and Palestinian officials but suggested that neither side would get its way in their demands for the joint statement.
"I am not certain that a timetable that says we have to complete X by Y time is where we want to go," she said when asked about the Palestinian demand for deadlines.
"We're talking about ways to demonstrate continued momentum if and when they begin formal negotiations but we haven't come to any conclusions at this point," Rice said.
She also said the joint statement "does not have to be detailed in order to be serious (or) substantive."
At the same time, she said that despite Israeli reservations, the document would have to include references to the final status issues.
"If it's going to address the establishment of a Palestinian state, then it has to address core issues," Rice said. "You do have to have enough that is concrete so that people know that we're not just starting out with the general principle that everyone would like to have a Palestinian state."
She also defended the plan for the conference, which some critics believe Bush called prematurely when he announced in July that it would be held in the fall — a year before the next presidential elections.
"I understand as well as anybody that there are risks to announcing a meeting and then doing the hard work to get it prepared," Rice said. But the other side of that ... something had to spark their active and intensive engagement, something had to spark the region to take advantage of what was a slowly opening historic opportunity."
Palestinian officials had expressed disappointment with Rice's less-than-optimistic comments on Sunday and in her meeting with Abbas she sought to reassure the Palestinians of the U.S. commitment to peace.
"We have come a long way," she said. "We have got quite a long way to go, but we are not going to tire until I have given it my last ounce of energy and my last moment in office."
Also Monday, the Israeli and Palestinian teams charged with drafting the pre-conference document were to meet in Jerusalem, Qureia's office said. The teams had met only once before.
At the same time, Olmert hinted Monday that he is ready to share control of Jerusalem, saying for the first time that Israel could do without controlling some of the holy city's outlying Arab neighborhoods.
Wild Thing's comment........
We are definitely living in some alternate universe. The former producers of Twilight Zone would have a field day getting script ideas from today’s morons in DC.
I don't know if they want a State but they sure do want to kill Jews.
Posted by Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 12:47 AM
Comments
Their's plenty of land and money in Saudi Arabia for a Palestinian state. How about Syria? Funny how the Arab nations want nothing to do with them.
Posted by: BobF at October 16, 2007 07:16 AM
What is going on? This is a good thing? Is there something they're not telling the rest of the world?
This is BS! When the Palestinians militants stop attacking Israel for a good long time (to be determined by Israel), then they can have a state. On an island somewhere far far away.
I have spoken. heh
Posted by: yankeemom at October 16, 2007 08:49 AM
Now wait just a damn minute. The UN gave that area to the jews after WW II. Now we want to give it back to the Palestinians and leave the Israelites out in the cold again?
Didn't we do this to the American Indians and it turned into a fiasco?
Leave well enough alone.
The Palestinians and Israelites come from two brothers--they are family. They need to learn to live together. Sorry, Condi--you're dead wrong on this one.
Posted by: Lynn at October 16, 2007 10:20 AM
The only state the Palestinians want is the state of extermination of the Israelis.
I believe Bush may be seeking his legacy. This is always dangerous when an outgoing president does so. His father sought a legacy in Somalia. Bush may be thinking of that overblown picture that Carter had with Sadat and Begin when Egypt and Israel declared a truce(with billions of US$$ providing the incentive). There are no Sadats in the Palestinian camp.
Posted by: TomR at October 16, 2007 11:46 AM
What is it with these leaders, they keep wanting to give The Palestinians a homeland, a State of their own.
That is not what they are after, Arafat already made clear that they want Israel out and gone or dead.
If the Palestinians really wanted a state they would have had one by now.
Posted by: Mark at October 16, 2007 12:31 PM
UNWRA has funded the Paleswines in their own state since it was founded, all that has bought is continued war against Israel. Israel prospers and Palestine still lives in the 7th century???By choice!!!
Get out of the UN they are the problem and Condi is doing their bidding.
Mark has nailed it perfectly. "If the Palestinians really wanted a state they would have had one by now."
Posted by: Jack at October 16, 2007 01:19 PM
It is obvious that Condi Rice has been drinking the anti-Israel Kool-Aid at the State Department. The last thing that the world needs is another Islamofascist terrorist state in the Middle East. How many more lies, false promises, and terrorist activities does Condi Rice and George Bush need to accept that these savages are TERRORISTS and part of the axis of evil?
For the record, Jordan is the Palestinian State. We don't need a second one.
Posted by: Les at October 16, 2007 04:12 PM
Bob isn't that something. Your so right too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 11:28 PM
Yankeemom, giggle and I love it when you have spoken.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 11:29 PM
Lynn Yesss, it is wrong in every way there is. This is so dangerous what they are saying they might do.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 11:32 PM
Tom, I agree, Bush is seeking his seeking his legacy, but this is not the way to do it. He has messed up big time on so many things and if this happens it will be one of the worst things.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 11:36 PM
Mark, exactly, it is all about how they want to get rid of the Jews. Thanks Mark.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 11:39 PM
Jack, by choice is so right. That is so true.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 11:40 PM
Les, good one....."anti-Israel Kool-Aid "...she probably has a good supply of it.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 16, 2007 11:42 PM
There is one solution for the Paletinian problem. And the solution contains ONLY two states in historical Palestine, and NOT 3 or 4 states.
Jordan, aka the eastern part of Palestine, should be the Palestinian Arab state which it's Capitol is Amman. You have to remember that 85% of the Jordanians are Arab Palestinians, and the Kings' family and his Beduins are Hashemite Beduin tribes from middle - western Saudi Arabia.
Israel, the state of the Palestinian Jews, should control and dominant the western part of Palestine, and with its Capitol Jerusalem. The border between both states will be the Jordan River.
Arabs and Jews will live where as they live today and the Arab refugees' problem will be settled within the Arab Palestinian state with the help of other countries, including Arabs' and Israel.
Arabs in both states will vote to their national Parliament in Amman. Jews in both states (if Jews will move to live in now-Jordan) will vote to their national Knesset in Jerusalem. That will make sure that Israel will stay a Jewish state no matter how many Arabs will live inside the land. If military clashes and terror actions continue, Israel always can evacuate and transfer Arabs from west to east of the Jordan River, with or with out the Jordanian Palestinians approval.
Posted by: Abe Bird at October 17, 2007 02:29 PM
