Responding to Minister Bennett’s claim that 2-state concept reached ‘dead end,’ Erekat deflects blame, says Israel ‘determined to make Kerry’s efforts fail’.

Yesh Atid, Livni also had criticism for Minister Bennett.

By Elior Levy, Moran Azulay

“Israel has officially declared the death of the two-state solution,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday in response to Economy Minister Naftali Bennett’s claim that the two-state solution had reached a “dead end.”

Erekat blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for matching such statements in policy, and said the “Israeli government is determined to make (US Secretary of State) Kerry’s efforts fail.”

Erekat said Bennett’s comments marked a new Israeli attempt to undermine any settlement on pre-1967 Middle East war borders.

“Several high-ranking Israeli officials have made clear statements regarding their position to actively work against the internationally endorsed two-state solution on the 1967 borders,” Erekat said.

“These are not isolated events but a reaffirmation of political platforms and radical beliefs,” he said in a statement. “Israel has officially declared the death of the two-state solution.”

“The Israeli government is prepared to wage a public relations campaign, but it is not serious about peace,” Erekat said.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, urged the Israeli government to “clarify its position on the economy minister’s statements”.

“These statements are not only a message to the administration of US President Barack Obama who made constant efforts to revive the peace process, but also a challenge and clear rejection of all efforts to try and save what can be,” the Palestinian WAFA news agency quoted him as saying.

Earlier Monday, Bennett said with regards to the two-state solution that “never has so much time been invested in something so pointless. We need to build, build, build. If the money spent on caviar in cocktail parties dealing with the idea of a Palestinian state would have been used for building interchanges (in the territories) – everything would be different.”

AFP contributed to the report

You can contact Elior Levy, Ynet’s Palestinian Affairs Correspondent, at: paldesk@gmail.com

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