Stop talks with Israel, Palestinian protesters say

A large number of Palestinians from different political movements have taken to the streets of the West Bank city of Ramallah to call on the Palestinian Authority to pull out from the so-called peace talks with Israel.

Supporters of all Palestinian factions, including the Islamic resistance movement Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, gathered in central Arafat square to protest against the talks.

The protesters said the talks are useless and acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas must pull out from the negotiations.

They also demanded the Palestinian Authority take the regime in Tel Aviv to the International Criminal Court for its crimes against the people of Palestine.

Israel has recently announced plans to build about 3,000 more illegal settlement units on the occupied Palestinian land.

The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine has created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.

In late July, under pressure from the United States, Abbas agreed to begin negotiations with Israeli officials over the terms of a Palestinian state.

On August 15, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticized Israel for its continued illegitimate settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“I am deeply troubled by Israel’s continuing settlement activity in the (occupied) West Bank, including East Jerusalem (al-Quds),” Ban said

“The settlement activity is deepening the Palestinian people’s mistrust in the seriousness on the Israeli side toward achieving peace. It will ultimately render a two-state solution impossible,” he added.

In an interview with Press TV on August 2, Iranian journalist Hamid Golpira said that Israelis want neither a one-state solution nor a two-state solution for Palestine, rather they want a no-state solution.

“The two-state solution, if it could happen in a proper way, could even be an acceptable thing for the people who want a one-state solution in the future. They could see it… as one step toward a one-state solution,” Golpira said.

He added that what “some of the Israelis, especially people like Mr. Netanyahu, are presenting… neither is the one-state solution nor is the two-state solution. It is more of a no-state solution, meaning, they want no state for Palestine, or no viable state.

“If they want to say this piece is separated and that piece is separated; certain sovereignty does not exist; this country cannot have an army, East Jerusalem (al-Quds) does not belong there, you could say that this proposal is a no-state solution, which is totally not acceptable in every way. The no-state solution is not acceptable.”