Israel Matzav: Israel grants an extra 5,000 'Palestinian' work permits, Erekat threatens to leave talks

Monday, September 09, 2013

Israel grants an extra 5,000 'Palestinian' work permits, Erekat threatens to leave talks

'Palestinian' chief ~~negotiator~~ bottle washer Saeb Erekat has responded to Israel's unilaterally granting permits for another 5,000 'Palestinians' to work in the fastest growing economy in the Middle East by threatening to walk away from the 'negotiations.'

The cabinet on Sunday approved permits enabling another 5,000 Palestinians to work inside the Green Line despite anger at the Palestinian Authority’s economic warfare against Israel.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon brought the proposal to substantially add to the estimated 35,000 Palestinian workers already working legally inside the Green Line. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who is heading the negotiations with the PA, both supported the move.

One cabinet source said, however, that because of annoyance at the Palestinians for spurring the Europeans on regarding their guidelines sanctioning Israeli entities beyond the pre-1967 lines, wording in the resolution saying it was done “within the framework of the negotiations with the Palestinians and as part of a willingness to assist the Palestinian economy” was taken out.

“While we take a step that will help the Palestinian economy, they continue to call for a total boycott of settlement goods and industry – something that hurts them since they are employed in that industry – and are behind the calls in Europe for stiffer economic sanctions against settlements,” the source said.

Removing the conciliatory language was meant to send a signal of displeasure to the Palestinians, the source added. Asked whether shelving the resolution entirely would not have sent a much stronger message, the source said, “We are not there yet,” and that it was in Israel’s interest to help the Palestinian economy.

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Meanwhile, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat on Sunday once again threatened to pull out of the talks because of continued building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. He was quoted as saying that the negotiations could not continue while there was construction in the settlements.

In a document released by the PLO Negotiations Department, Erekat said that he relayed the Palestinian position regarding the settlements to the US administration, Russia, European Union, United Nations and other countries.

Erekat said that the Israeli argument that the settlement blocs would be part of Israel in a permanent deal was an “excuse uglier than the sin, because this means dictates and not negotiations.”

One of the reasons the PA agreed to return to negotiations was a written pledge that the terms of reference for a final settlement would be based on a two-state solution on the pre-1967 lines with a slight and agreed swap of land.