Former negotiator: Post-Annapolis talks to fail if Bush ignores Israeli settlements

By Xinhua

Ramallah : A former Palestinian negotiator warned on Sunday that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks can’t go ahead if U.S. President George W. Bush could not translate the results of Annapolis peace conference into actions on the ground.


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Bush is to visit the region next week to push the talks that were launched following the U.S.-hosted peace forum which was held in November. The continuation of Israeli settlement activities in West Bank blocks the progress of the discussions.

“The negotiation process won’t even start if the U.S. administration lacked the will to put an end to the settlements and bring Israel accountable and start removing the settlements,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a former peace negotiator and a lawmaker.

She recalled that it was said in Annapolis that the negotiations will immediately start “but Israel immediately increased the settlement activities, escalated the military aggression on Gaza and West Bank and left the Palestinian side receiving strikes in a weak position.”

“The Israeli escalation exposed the real Israeli intentions to let the Palestinians stay in a state of self defense and putting an end to the negation process,” she concluded.

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