Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat on Thursday blasted statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would never withdraw from eastern areas of the occupied West Bank.

Erekat termed the statements a direct challenge to the international community, casting Israel’s readiness for peace further into doubt, by imposing further conditions on negotiations and announcing Israel's intention to continue its occupation irrespective of the outcome.

"Benjamin Netanyahu has said no to a settlement freeze, no to sharing Jerusalem, no to the 1967 borders, no to the rights of Palestinian refugees," Erekat said in a statement. "What are these if not Israeli preconditions on negotiations that erode any foundation of hope for the two-state solution?" he added.

"We had hoped to hear a clear commitment to negotiations without preconditions," he continued. "What we got instead was Mr. Netanyahu again trying to dictate their terms and preempt their outcome." The only remaining obstacle to negotiations, Erekat said, "are the conditions Mr. Netanyahu continues to impose."

Timed to coincide with the arrival of US special envoy George Mitchell to the region, Erekat alleged the prime minister had reaffirmed Israel's intention to indefinitely maintain its occupation in the Palestinian territories.

"What Benjamin Netanyahu basically said is that it does not matter what happens in negotiations. Irrespective of their outcome, Israel's occupation will continue on the ground. Israel will continue to confiscate occupied Palestinian land and continue to maintain a military presence in the Palestinian territory," he added.

"The international community needs to remove the remaining obstacles to negotiations, namely Israel’s refusal to implement a comprehensive settlement freeze and its insistence on trying to dictate rather than negotiate peace," he said.

"Under the conditions Mr. Netanyahu is trying to impose, the only foreseeable outcome is a continuation of the status quo and the end of the two-state solution," he concluded. "Israel is sabotaging the two-state solution and imposing a de facto one-state solution, or bi-national state."