The Quartet of Mideast negotiators published a report in which it blasted Israel for building in Judea and Samaria and compared it to Palestinian terror. The Quartet also criticized the Palestinians for their incitement to terrorism. PA officials claim that the Quartet is biased in Israel’s favor and has ceased to serve as an impartial mediator.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced Tuesday it is suspending its contact with the Middle East Quartet following the report it published last week.
The Quartet of Mideast negotiators – the United Nations, US, European Union and Russia – published a report in which it blasted Israel for building in Judea and Samaria and compared such construction to acts of Palestinian terrorism. The Quartet also criticized the Palestinians for their incitement to terrorism.
PA officials claim that the Quartet is biased in Israel’s favor and has ceased to serve as an impartial mediator.
PA head Mahmoud Abbas has canceled a planned meeting with Quartet emissary Tony Blair in retaliation for the report’s text.
The London-based Arabic language daily newspaper al-Hayat reported that the fact that the mentioned Palestinian terrorism and incitement as an obstacle for peace before relating to the Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria infuriated the Palestinians.
A Palestinian official said the US has too much influence on the Quartet and sways its activity in any direction it wishes
“The UN is powerless and the EU does not speak in one voice. Russia is a friend of the Palestinians, but many times it concludes deals with the US that affect the entire region,” the Palestinian official told al-Hayat, according to the Jerusalem Post .
Mohammad Shtayyeh, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told al-Hayat: “The report only discussed the symptoms of the problem and not the reasons. The first reason for the failure of the peace negotiations is the settlements that ruin the two-state solution and leave no land that can be negotiated on.”
“If any party wants to reinvigorate peace talks, it must must clarify when and how the occupation will end,” Shtayyeh said.
Shtayyeh added that the Palestinian leadership will not cooperate with the Quartet and is instead working to convene an international summit, such as the French initiative has suggested, to force a resolution on Israel.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which represents 57 Muslim states, censured the Quartet report, claiming that the document is biased in Israel’s favor.
Israel also rejected the report for its equation between Palestinian terrorism and Israeli building in Judea and Samaria, but endorsed the Quartet’s strive for a peaceful resolution.
By: United with Israel Staff