Israel's 'regrets' Argentinian recognition of Palestine - Summary

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

Tel Aviv/Ramallah - Israel Tuesday condemned as "highly regrettable" Argentina's announcement that it recognized Palestine as "a free and independent state" within its borders prior to the 1967 Six-Day War - but the Palestinians welcomed the move.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner wrote to Palestinian President Abbas Monday to inform him of her government's decision to recognize Palestine.

Israel's foreign ministry described the decision as highly "damaging," because Argentina was "in fact shattering the foundation of the peace process."

The recognition while peace negotiations are ongoing and no final peace deal has yet been reached "is contrary to the existing legal framework of the peace process," spokesman Yigal Palmor said.

That legal framework states that a permanent and definitive solution to the conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state, can only be the outcome of negotiations and mutually agreed solutions, he argued.

He said the Argentinian declaration did not affect the situation on the ground, nor did it help the Palestinians because it did nothing to promote Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation.

"We have embassies and we have made our opinions known to the local authorities through our diplomats," the Foreign Ministry official told the German Press-Agency dpa.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki welcomed Argentina's decision, which came only days after its Mercosur partner Brazil made the same move.

He said he expected the third Mercosur partner, Uruguay, would soon follow suit, as would the rest of Latin America.

Malki said Europe is also gradually upgrading the level of Palestinian representation in its countries, with the Palestinian diplomats in France and Spain upgrading their status from representative to ambassador.

On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on a visit to Turkey, welcomed the steps by Brazil and Argentina. He said that he has asked Turkey's help in getting world governments that had not yet recognized Palestine to do so as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, from Brussels, described Argentina's move as "an important turning point."

He said he expected many countries to soon follow suit.

Monday's announcement by the Argentine government followed Brazil's Friday declaration of recognition.

The move came in response to a request for recognition by Abbas in late November. Abbas visited both Brazil and Argentina last year.

Uruguay reportedly shares the policy line of its two larger neighbors, although it has not made a statement on the issue so far.

Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have been halted over Palestinian demands that Israel freeze all its construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, before direct talks can resume.

The Palestinians are suspicious of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-oriented government, and fear it is more interested in holding negotiations to avoid international isolation, than in achieving actual, viable results.

Netanyahu, of the nationalist Likud party, for his part argues that the Palestinian leadership is not interested in negotiating with him, and is raising unprecedented preconditions to avoid this.

The Palestinians have warned that in the absence of progress in serious peace negotiatings by next summer, they will turn to the United Nations Security Council for a resolution recognizing a Palestinian state in the borders of before the 1967 Six-Day War, during which Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356949,recognition-palestine-summary.html.