DFM Ayalon on recent recognition of Palestinian state

25 Jan 2011 DFM Ayalon: Unilateral steps are creating a bubble of expectation for the Palestinians. We can see an obvious connection to the recent spate of recognition and a hardening of the Palestinian position.       DFM Ayalon (MFA archive photo)

(Communicated by the Bureau of Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon) On Tuesday (25 January), Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon reacted to the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by Peru and the upgrade of the Palestinian Authority delegation to Ireland to embassy status. "Unfortunately, while these unilateral declarations are largely meaningless on the ground and destructive for negotiations, they do contribute to the bubble of expectation that is growing amongst the Palestinian leadership," Ayalon said. "However, we all know that bubbles eventually burst and it is negligent to contribute to this unsustainable policy." "Every free gift the Palestinians receive from the international community contributes to their recalcitrance and maximalist strategy. We can see an obvious connection to the recent spate of recognition and a hardening of the Palestinian position." The Deputy Foreign Minister calls on the international community to assist the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. "Every nation which would like to assist peace and security in our region should think deeply about how it can contribute to these important goals," Ayalon continued. "Only a negotiated solution will allow the Palestinians to achieve their national aspirations, so anything that makes the Palestinians think they can get more by staying away from the negotiating table is harmful to peace." Ayalon also addressed the Palestinian tactics. "If the Palestinians would expend one tenth of the effort towards meaningful negotiations that they use to push for largely meaningless one-sided declarations and political warfare in multilateral forums then we could have actually moved a long way in negotiations."