Press Release, 13.03.05

Abu Ala: "The Palestinian Government will never agree to a state with provisional borders. It is possible to arrive at a permanent status agreement within a few months."   
Joint Israeli-Palestinian of Geneva Initiative political steering committee met today in Ramallah, including initiative leaders Yossi Beilin, Avrum Burg, Knesset Members Yuli Tamir, Collette Avital, and Avshalom Vilan, and on the Palestinian side, Yasser Abed Rabbo, National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub, Bethlehem Governor Zuheir Al-Manasrah, Nabil Kassis and PLC Member Azmi Schweibe.  Prime Minister Abu Ala joined the meeting for an exchange of views, commenting that "The Palestinian government will under no circumstances agree to a state with provisional borders."  He also noted that 'If both sides are serious, it is possible to arrive at a permanent status agreement in a matter of months.  The negotiations at Camp David and Taba, The Clinton Parameters, and the Geneva Initiative were all important exercises in demonstrating exactly where we intend to arrive via permanent status negotiations. 
Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei expressed his appreciation for the "courage and efforts" of the Geneva Initiative Group.  He went on to reject any kind of unilateralism, as "it cannot solve the problem and will not bring peace for either people."
The Steering Committee discussed ongoing campaigns and the need to focus public messaging on the necessity of urgently resuming permanent status negotiations.  Geneva Initiative members agreed that the "morning after Gaza" would present a strategic choice between more interim arrangements or a push to reach an agreed, endgame peace.  The former- more interim arrangements- had previously failed both peoples, encouraged extremists on all sides, and given the facts being created on the ground, may mean losing the window of opportunity for ever reaching a viable two-state solution.  The latter- ending the conflict- was possible, represented the interests and will of both peoples and best guaranteed security for both sides.
The President of Birzeit University, Nabil Kassis, added during the meeting that "The Palestinian leadership was chosen on the basis of an agenda that is opposed to violence and supportive of a permanent status agreement.  We need the Israeli leadership to adopt a similar policy to make an agreement possible."
The Governor of Bethlehem, Zuheir Al-Manasrah, stressed that the Geneva Initiative Group represents the majority of the Palestinian people, a fact proven during the recent elections.  He also called on the Israeli government not to create "facts on the ground", via the continued construction of the separation barrier and the continued expansion of settlements – steps that damage the possibility of arriving at a future negotiated settlement.
The head of the Yachad Party, Yossi Beilin, asked that Abu Ala work to help formulate a joint plan that would ensure that the Gaza withdrawal is not a substitution for a serious political process, but rather a first step towards a renewed engagement in peace making.
Read the article in Haaretz
Read the article from Relief Web