Solana - Let's force the birth of Palestine
Jerusalem Newswire (Link) - Stan Goodenough (July 12, 2009)
If Israel and the Palestinian Arabs are not prepared to compromise enough to bring about the creation of the State of Palestine in the Land of Israel, the international community should go ahead and recognize the existence of such a state, thereby making its birth a fait accompli.
This recommendation to forcefully impose the will of the world upon Israel was made Saturday by European Union foreign policy czar Javier Solana.
The Spaniard - who last month became the first senior European diplomat to meet publicly with a member of the Hizb'allah Iranian-sponsored Lebanese terror group - floated his proposal while delivering a lecture in London.
According to Reuters, Solana said the United Nations Security Council should officially pass binding international law adopting the "two-state solution" as the universally-accepted and supported formula for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The move should include resolutions regarding the borders of Israel and Palestine, the resolution of the "Palestinian" refugee problem, the question of Jerusalem's ownership, and security arrangements.
Reuters quoted Solana as saying the resolution "would accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the UN, and set a calendar for implementation.
"It would mandate the resolution of other remaining territorial disputes and legitimize the end of claims."
Solana's radical recommendation comes after years of fruitless international efforts to coerce Israel into accepting the surrender of its national cradle and ancient historic lands for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Unable to withstand the pressure, consecutive Israeli governments have made innumerable concessions to demonstrate their willingness to make peace. By vivid contrast, the Arab side has vehemently rejected any form of compromise, repeatedly resorting to violence and terror instead.
Solana is believed to have come forward with his most recent recommendation in light of the Obama administration's more pro-Arab approach to Mideast peacemaking.
While there has been no official Security Council response to Solana's idea, the proposal will be seen as a not-so-veiled threat that will serve to substantially ratchet up the already intense level of pressure being brought to bear on the Netanyahu government to "make a deal already."
Israel to Solana: solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict only through negotiations European Jewish Press (July 12, 2009)
Israel�s Foreign Ministry Sunday rejected a call by EU foreign policy chief Javer Solana on the UN to recognize a Palestinian state even if Israelis and Palestinians have not reached agreement among themselves.
"According to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the Road Map and the treaties signed between the two sides, a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be reached through negotiations," said the ministry in a statement.
According to Reuters, during a lecture Saturday in London, Solana called on the United Nations Security Council to adopt a two-state solution including borders, refugees, Jerusalem and security by a fixed deadline, whether or not the Palestinians and Israel reach a settlement.
"It would accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the U.N., and set a calendar for implementation. It would mandate the resolution of other remaining territorial disputes and legitimise the end of claims," the EU official said.
Advocating a return to Israel's borders before the 1967 war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan in which it took the West Bank, Solana said mediators should set a timetable for a peace agreement.
"If the parties are not able to stick to it (the timetable), then a solution backed by the international community should be put on the table," he said.
68-year-old Javier Solana, a former Spanish Foreign Minister, has announced earlier this month that he would step down after ten years as EU�s foreign policy chief - EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy as he is formally known- when his current term in office expires in October.