Solution should be imposed on Israe

A peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue, based on the UN resolutions, should be imposed on Israel, a European analyst said on Wednesday.
“A just and peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue, based on UN resolutions, should be imposed on Israel as Middle East peace negotiations failed and proved to be pointless,” said professor Alvaro de Vasconcelos, Director of the Institute of EU Security Studies in a lecture organised by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.
Professor Vasconcelos stressed the existing consensus concerning Palestine in the European Union, developed since the Venice Declaration of 1980, is that its resolution lies essentially in the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
“Asking the United Nations Security Council to recognise a Palestinian state may not solve the problem, but it will pressure Israel amid floundering efforts to revive peace negotiations,” he said.
Professor Vasconcelos was speaking after Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, listed a set of conditions the Palestinians immediately called “a declaration of war”.
Netanyahu insisted on a unified Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reiterated his rejection of the borders that existed before Israel began its occupation of the West Bank 44 years ago, and declared that Israel must maintain a military presence in the Jordan Valley.
Palestinians have repeatedly declared their desire to negotiate a two-state solution where Jerusalem would be the capital of both states, with borders based on the Jun. 4, 1967 lines with agreed and equivalent land swaps, and full sovereignty over the West Bank, of which the Jordan Valley is a large part.

Professor Vasconcelos said the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt are encouraging a better understanding of political Islamic movements and making it clear that the aspirations and the demands of Arabs are no different from those of Europeans.
‘As a result, European positions are changing once again. Palestinian reconciliation will likely force European leaders to adopt positions which are closer to those of European citizens. This evolution is also influenced by Turkey, and the change of policy in Egypt. Furthermore, it is facilitated by the change in the US administration.”
In April, the EU and the GCC reaffirmed their shared position that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East is vital for international peace and security andexpressed their continued support for the Arab Peace Initiative. They reaffirmed their shared position not to recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by both parties including with regard to Occupied Jerusalem.
The EU and the GCC stressed their common position that Israeli colonies
anywhere in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace. In this regard they called on Israel to immediately end all colonist activity in East Occupied Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, including natural growth, and dismantle all outposts.
Admitting that Europe was unable to impose sanctions on Israel for making the stalemate with the Palestinians even more intractable, Professor Vasconcelos said the European policy supports peaceful Palestinian civic movements, the process of reconciliation, the link between the fundamental rights of the Palestinians and the two-state solution.
He also stressed the importance of th forthcoming Palestinian elections, and the need to involve Turkey and all Arab states – particularly neighbours – in the search for a solution that may involve the recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state.

Source:gulfnews