Several Palestinian factions slammed the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) in the West Bank for accepting to attend a meeting with Israeli representatives in Jordan’s capital, Amman, on Tuesday.The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) stated that the meeting will be used to weaken the position of the P.A. and its decision to reject any direct peace talks with Israel before clear standards and goals are set.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) stated that this meeting is a serious mistake, adding that this meeting will only serve Israel and its illegal
policies and occupation.
The Islamic Jihad said that the meeting is only a waste of time, and an attempt to drag the P.A. into endless and fruitless talks.
The Palestinian National Initiative stated that the meeting in Amman will not lead to any positive results, adding that Israel will just use it to pretend that the peace process is ongoing, while Tel Aviv continues its violations and settlement activities.
The Hamas movement said that the meeting is a waste of time and comes only to give Israel another chance to “Judaize Jerusalem”, and to continue its assaults and offensives against the Palestinian people, their rights and their holy sites.
Hamas also stated that Israel does not want the Palestinians to achieve unity and reconciliation, and that these meetings are “organized by the U.S. administration and the Quartet Committee to give Israel more chances to continue its crimes”.
Meanwhile, Chief Palestinian negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, stated that the meeting does not mean resuming peace talks with Tel Aviv.
Erekat added that the Palestinian stance is clear regarding refusing to resume peace talks with Israel until it halts its violations and settlement activities.
He also stated that the P.A. accepted an invitation from Jordan’s king, Abdullah II, to meet with Israeli delegates and with representatives of the Quartet Committee.
The meeting in Amman is connected to a meeting that was held in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, on Monday, between Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and the U.S. Middle East envoy, David Hale, the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera reported.
Al- Jazeera stated that Abbas said that the P.A. is committed to a serious peace process that is based on solid and clear grounds, such as halting all Israeli settlement activities.
Both Israel and the P.A. stated that the meeting is not considered a resumption of the peace process that the Palestinians quit in September 2010 after Israeli resumed its illegal settlement activities in the occupied territories, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
Erekat said that the P.A will not resume peace talks with Israel before is halts its settlement activities, and urged Tel Aviv to accept the two-state solution, and to refrain from any measures that jeopardize peace efforts.
The Palestinian Authority and Israel are supposed to present their individual visions for the issues of borders and security, as asked by the Quartet Committee that hopes to end the decades-old conflict by the end of the year.
On the internal Palestinian level, the Fateh and Hamas movements have been engaged on talks to ensure the implementation of the unity and reconciliation agreement, in order to achieve real unity on the ground.
Last week, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, stated that the option to retract the recognition of Israel is a valid one as Israel is ongoing with its settlement activities and violations, Al Jazeera reported.
