PLO: Olmert’s Statements on Settlements ‘Absolutely Unacceptable’ Al-Malki: Israeli Courts Have No Legal Jurisdiction over PNA 18/03/2008

by **Admin** Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:44 am

Palestine Media Center - PMC

On the same day President Mahmoud Abbas was categorically denying Israeli media reports that he intends to stop peace talks as “absolutely baseless,” while chief Palestinian and Israeli negotiators were meeting in Jerusalem Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert again defied US, EU, UN, Arab, Islamic and Palestinian criticism and confirmed the Israeli plans to expand the illegal Jewish colonial settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, two days after his foreign minister cleared the way Sunday for Israelis to sue the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Pre-empting the outcome of bilateral negotiations with the Palestinian peace partner, Olmert said during a visit to Israel by Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on Monday that, “There will be places where there will be (settlement) construction, or additions to construction, because these places will remain in Israel's hands. This includes, first and foremost, Jerusalem.”

“We are building in Jerusalem because everyone knows that there is no chance the State of Israel will give up neighbourhoods like Har Homa, as you know. It's an inseparable part of Jerusalem,” he added.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmad Qurei said in a meeting held on Monday with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem that the expansion of Jewish settlements is rejected, according to a statement released by the official news agency WAFA.

“After what the Israeli prime minister said about settlements, the meeting was an unofficial, not an official, meeting,” Qurei said, adding: “I expressed our strong anger and complete rejection of this position.”

The statement said that, “a semi-official meeting was held on Monday evening with Livni in Jerusalem, instead of an official preparatory meeting to renew peace talks.”

The meeting was held upon a Palestinian request to officially protest against Olmert's statements: “During the meeting, I expressed to Foreign Minister Livni the extreme Palestinian discontent to Olmert's statements, and we told her that what he said is totally rejected,” said Qurei.

“We reiterated to Livni that we totally reject expanding settlements or even building one room on any inch of the Palestinian lands either in the West Bank or in the occupied east Jerusalem,” he added.

“This is (Olmert’s statements) considered a clear breaching to Israel's commitments to the roadmap plan for peace in the Middle East, and a violation of the peace process principles and to what we had agreed upon in Annapolis,” said Qurei.

Similarly, the head of the Negotiations Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, said Olmert's comments “cannot stand” and they are “absolutely unacceptable.”

Separately, Riad al-Malki, the PNA foreign minister and government spokesman, said Israeli courts have no legal jurisdiction over the Palestinian National Authority. He warned that a decision by Israel’s foreign affairs ministry on Sunday clearing the way for Israelis to sue the PNA could undermine the peace talks.

“We had expected (the Foreign Ministry) to provide a positive atmosphere for the continuation of the peace process and negotiations,” al-Malki said. “We regret such inclinations. We condemn them.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry made its ruling Sunday, allowing 55 Israeli suits for damages to proceed against the PNA.

“Since the PA is not a sovereign state, it does not merit the immunity granted to foreign countries according to international law,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement to the media on Sunday. Spokesman Arye Mekel said Israel does not recognize the Palestinian Authority as a state.

Usually states are immune from prosecution in the courts of another country.