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Palestinian democracy activist calls for backing bid to U.N

Arab-Israel Relations Materials 12 September 2011 12:51 (UTC +04:00)
Palestinian democracy activist calls for backing bid to U.N
Palestinian democracy activist calls for backing bid to U.N

Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, called to back the Palestinian statehood bid at the U.N, regarding it as a 'strategic choice', Ma'an reported.

Support for recognition of Palestinian state within the borders of 1967 with the capital city of Jerusalem is the only way to save the idea of Palestinian state after the negotiations have become futile by Netanyahu government, he added.

"The statehood bid is not a tactics to better the negotiation process," he said. "It must become a strategic step after Israel has blocked all the efforts in the process and exploited the negotiations as a cover for its expansionist settlement policy."

Barghouthi called to ignore pressures on Palestinian bid at the U.N., which impede recognition of Palestine within the borders of 1967 with the capital city of Jerusalem.

The Palestinians have insisted they will not scrap their bid for UN membership, even if a new peace proposal is floated, saying the UN move does not exclude the possibility of new talks.

Direct peace talks between the two sides have been on hold since last September when they ground to a halt shortly after commencing over the issue of Israeli settlement expansion.

Israel halted settlement construction in the West Bank, but did not renew the 10-month moratorium after it expired shortly after Washington restarted direct negotiations between the two sides.

The Palestinians say they will not negotiate while Israel builds on land they want for a future state, and have called for clear parameters to be laid out before they enter any new talks.

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