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Palestinian FM Nabil Sha'ath said the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees to Israel was guaranteed in the "road map" peace initiative.
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08/17
Haaretz |
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08/17
Jerusalem Post |
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| By Ellis Shuman August 17, 2003 |
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Israeli right-wing and left-wing politicians were united in their categorical rejection of Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath's remarks on Friday suggesting that the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees to cities in Israel was guaranteed in the U.S.-backed "road map" peace initiative. Officials said Sha'ath's claim was "false and unhelpful" and no Israeli government would ever accept it.
Speaking to a delegation representing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Sha'ath said, "No condition has been set for a return (only) to an independent Palestinian state. The right of return is no longer an illusion. It is an integral part of the Arab peace initiative, which is one of the reference points in the road map.
"I want to be clear: this right includes returning to an independent state and to Palestinian cities in the Jewish state. Whether a person returns to Haifa or to Nablus, their return is guaranteed," he stated.
Later, Sha'ath tried to soften his comments by saying that the "right of return" of the refugees to Israel would be the result of negotiations, Army Radio reported. In an interview with the Al-Arabiya network, Sha'ath emphasized that refugees living in Lebanon could unquestionably return to the new independent Palestinian state.
But on his arrival in Damascus Saturday night, Sha'ath reiterated his insistence on a right of Palestinian return to Israeli cities, Haaretz reported. "There is Israeli sensitivity toward any mere mention of the right of return, but this right is anchored in United Nations resolutions on refugees and in the Arab initiative," he said. Even so, he added that refugee return to Israel would be a central issue discussed in final status negotiations with Israel.
Sha'ath's statement is "false and unhelpful"
Sha'ath's "statement can only hurt things because it's false," Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said. "The road map says absolutely nothing about the [refugees'] right of return and this statement is detrimental" to implementation of the road map.
"Israel has no intention, under any circumstance and within any framework, of accepting the return of refugees in Israeli cities which Nabil Sha'ath terms Palestinian cities," Pazner said.
"There's no Israeli government that will ever accept it," said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman, Ra'anan Gissin. Gissin said Sha'ath's remarks would undermine the peace process and PA Prime Minister Abu Mazen's government. "There will be no Palestinian state so long as they continue to espouse the right of return," Gissin said.
Israeli officials noted that at the Aqaba summit, U.S. President George W. Bush vowed to maintain Israel's Jewish character. "The Palestinians' claim for a 'right of return' is not backed up by international law and it would be better if they fulfilled their commitments listed in the 'road map' and began dismantling terrorist infrastructure," the officials said.
Israeli right, left categorically reject Sha'ath's remarks
Opposition leader MK Shimon Peres (Labor) said the Palestinians had once again addressed an issue that they would never achieve. "Israel cannot and will not endanger its demographic situation and these remarks do not further the chances of reaching an agreement," he said.
MK Matan Vilnai (Labor) said all Israeli political parties were united in their rejection of a Palestinian "right of return" to Israeli cities.
Health Minister Danny Naveh (Likud) said "all progress on 'road map' implementation should be conditional on the Palestinians' waiver of a 'right of return.' Sha'ath's remarks show that the Palestinian leadership hasn't given up on its desire to destroy the State of Israel, because there is no other meaning to a Palestinian 'right of return,'" he said.
MK Ran Cohen (Meretz) called on Abu Mazen and the Palestinian government to reject Sha'ath's statement and MK Ilan Shalgi (Shinui) called on Israeli leaders to boycott Sha'ath.
Former justice minister Yossi Beilin said Sha'ath's comments were "damaging" and "hurt the chances of seeing the road map carried out. A solution to the refugee problem will include the possibility of settlement in their sovereign homeland, a Palestinian state," he said.
Only MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) expressed satisfaction with Sha'ath's remarks, "because they remind us what the Arabs really want." Eldad said a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem could only be found within a Palestinian state on the east bank of the Jordan River, in what is now Jordan.
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