Ali Waked
Ynetnews
March 3, 2009 - 1:00am
http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3...


Should rightist government being formed in Israel abandon notion of two-state solution, Palestinian moderates will likely lose public's support while Islamic forces gain in strength, senior PA official says
Ali Waked

Should the two-state solution fail to become viable in the near future," the entire notion of the two states and the diplomatic process in general will collapse," a senior Palestinian official told Ynet Tuesday.

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The Palestinian leadership will stress this to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her planned visit to Ramallah on Wednesday, he said. Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to the official, the Palestinians were deeply concerned that the new government being formed in Israel does not believe in the two-state solution. "With a leadership made up of Benjamin Netanyahu, Avigdor Lieberman, Benny Begin, Moshe Ya'alon and the right-wing parties, there's a real risk that the two-state notion will fade away.

"This could result not only in the collapse of the diplomatic process, but also in the rise of the Islamic camp and of those who oppose the process among the Palestinians," he said.

The official warned that these developments could have a dire effect on the future of the Palestinian Authority. "In the absence of a peace process and the notion of two states for two people, the advocates of peace would have nothing to sell to the Palestinian street, and it's doubtful that Netanyahu's nonsense regarding an economic process can satisfy the people."

He went on to say that Hamas was already gearing up for "the death of the peace process." In her meetings in Ramallah on Tuesday, Clinton will hear from the PA leaders that "the Palestinian peace camp is at a historical crossroads," he added.

"This goes well beyond an internal Palestinian conflict and could have far-reaching implications on the regional balance of power and the stability in the Middle East and the world," he concluded.




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