Erekat: No Two State Solution Without Palestinian Reconciliation

PLO official Saeb Erekat said Saturday that there can not be a two state solution without Palestinian reconciliation.

Erekat said he considered political reconciliation a “supporting point” of the peace process.

The PLO official made the comments in separate meetings with the British Consul, a UN envoy and the Austrian representative to the Palestinian Authority.

President Abbas’ top priority is reconciliation and he will continue with efforts to implement a deal and prepare for new elections, Erekat said.

Israel continues to stall the peace process by building settlements, blockading Gaza and withholding tax revenues from the PA, the official said.

Erekat confirmed that the PA will only resume negotiations with Israel once it has stopped settlement building, especially in East Jerusalem, and accepted 1967 borders as the basis for two states. Settlement building is illegal under international law.

Mashaal and Abbas met in Cairo on Thursday for the first time since signing the agreement to end the rivalry that split the West Bank and Gaza into separate administrations under each party.

On Friday, Mashaal said it was still too early to discuss Hamas’ nomination of a prime minister, after the meeting with Abbas that both insisted ended remaining disagreements between them.

The Hamas politburo head said that the next meeting of factions in December would discuss reconstruction of the PLO, political issues and elections.