The Palestinian Authority has slammed the role of the US in Middle East talks in a statement on Monday. In a press release following a PA meeting to discuss the Middle East Quartet meeting, Palestinian leaders laid the blame for Israeli policies on US Barrack Obama administration’s door. The statement described Israeli policies as racist and expansionary.The PA has taken an unusually strong stance against US President Barrack Obama’s administration with a statement laying blame squarely with the US for Israel’s continued policies of occupation and the failure to get peace talks moving again. The statement came as a response to the Middle East Quartet’s (US, EU, UN, Russia) failure to make a statement on progress on a way out of the impasse in peace talks on Monday.
The statement read that the only legitimate option to bring progress to the region was now for the US to use all its influence in pressuring Israeli into halting its current policies in the Occupied Territories.
In the absence of such pressure the PA put forward its view that ‘the United States bears the prime responsibility for the continuation of this racist (Israeli) policy’.
Given the failure of what was one of the few remaining chances to return to negotiations the PA has reaffirmed its intent to go to the UN to declare statehood in September. Speaking to Israeli media, Haaretz, PA President Mahmoud Abbas claimed that if there was a vote in the UN General Assembly tomorrow the PA would have the 130 necessary two thirds majority.
However the PA Foreign Minister, Riyad Al-Maliki, maintained the possibility of Palestinians withdrawing the bid as a result of a return to negotiations with a definite timetable, according to Maan. Al Maliki stated that ‘some parties try to focus on negotiations to make us avoid the September bid, while others take negotiations seriously trying to make them meaningful, and we are aware of that”.
