Erekat: Let's make it official

Here's my rough translation of what Erekat told the paper:

The Palestinian leadership is mobilizing support for the idea to go the U.N. Security Council. It would achieve the international recognition of a Palestinian state, along 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital...

Erekat said he had discussed the idea more than once with the Americans, as well as the Europeans, U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, and officials in Russia... he said he received a positive response, and that [Mahmoud] Abbas will pitch the idea to Latin American countries on his trip there later this week.

Erekat goes on to connect this proposal to the issue of Israeli settlements. The settlements are already illegal under any reasonable interpretation of international law, but Israel insists that they are simply "disputed." If the U.N. recognizes a Palestinian state, though, Israel will really have no choice but to stop building new settlements.

I've never heard Palestinian officials endorse this approach. I've heard it from American scholars and policymakers, and from Israelis -- Gilead Sher in September, for example -- but never Palestinians. It seems to be a recognition that Benjamin Netanyahu will not voluntarily agree to a meaningful settlement freeze.

Erekat said there's "unprecedented" Arab agreement on this proposal, but there's no timetable for when it might be presented to the Security Council.

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, meanwhile, carries an anonymously-sourced report (عربي) that the U.S. is backing away from pushing for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks.

"We don't want to push in the direction of peace talks before both parties are ready to do so," said one unnamed official source.

This was just a matter of time, really, because both sides have preconditions for direct talks -- a settlement freeze for the Palestinians, and a lack of preconditions for the Israelis -- that the other is not willing to meet.

Dropping the PLC?

Over in the Israeli papers, Yedioth Ahronoth has an interesting -- if dubiously-sourced -- story that the Palestinian Authority is trying to squeeze Hamas out of the government.

PA sources told Ynet that according to the plan in formation, the role of Legislative Council, which has served as the parliament since the establishment of the PA and is currently ruled by Hamas, will be usurped by the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Central Council, which will become the supreme Palestinian legislative body. Hamas is not a member of the PLO, and it will have no foothold in the council.

The report says Mahmoud Abbas would remain as PLO head, and also serve as acting Palestinian president, since the election scheduled for January has been postponed.

This is an anonymously-sourced Israeli report about Palestinian politics, so take it with a dose of skepticism. If it's true, though, it's hard to see how it's a net positive for the idea of a Palestinian state. It might help the "peace process": Israel is more likely to negotiate with the Palestinian government if Hamas is not part of that government. But it would also deepen the divisions between Gaza and the West Bank and make reconciliation even more difficult.

Other headlines from Israel: A Qassam rocket fired from Gaza landed in the Negev desert, causing no injuries or damage; and Avigdor Lieberman's foreign ministry is apparently no longer interested in Palestine, Syria, or helping Israelis abroad. (Earlier coverage of Lieberman's agenda is here.)