JERUSALEM // Palestinian leaders vowed yesterday to defy Barack Obama in September by pursuing United Nations recognition for an independent state.
In a televised speech on Thursday the US president cautioned that such "efforts to delegitimise Israel" would end in failure and that abandoning Washington-brokered peace talks to seek UN support would not create a Palestinian state.
Nabil Shaath, a leading negotiator in the peace talks and a senior aide to the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, dismissed the warning yesterday.
"Of course we will go to the United Nations," he said. "We urge President Obama to recognise the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. We are going to the United Nations in September, using all non-violent means.
"Especially after Netanyahu used the old pretext that he needs `defensible borders' to keep stealing our land, control the Jordan Valley and create demographic facts on the ground."
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, rejected Mr Obama's call for a Palestinian state to be negotiated on the basis of the borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The policy was a recipe for "a peace based on illusions", Mr Netanyahu said at the White House on Friday. "While Israel is prepared to make generous compromises for peace, it cannot go back to the 1967 lines - because these lines are indefensible."
The former chief negotiator in peace talks with Israel, Saeb Erekat, was also critical of the Israeli leader. "I don't think we can talk about a peace process with a man who says the 1967 lines are an illusion, that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel, undivided, and he does not want a single refugee to go back," Mr Erekat said.
"What is left to negotiate about?"
The first public call by a US president for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, Mr Obama's new position is no small victory for the Palestinians. They have made this, along with a halt to Jewish settlement expansion, a key demand for returning to peace talks.
The policy, which includes mutually agreed land swaps in return for Israeli retention of West Bank settlements, confirms what US, Israeli and Palestinian leaders implicitly accepted in previous negotiations.
The idea has been backed by the European Union, Russia and the United States, which, with the United States, form the Middle East Quartet. European nations in particular have sought to relaunch the peace process using the Quartet, which set out a roadmap to peace under a land-for-security deal.
Israel would have to give up territory, while all Palestinian factions, notably Hamas, would have to recognise Israel's right to exist and end violence.
The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton "warmly welcomes President Obama's confirmation that the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines", a spokeswoman said.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Mr Obama's speech was "a very important message for the Middle East peace process" and the proposal "a good path that both sides should consider".
In London, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he supported Mr Obama's "clear message that the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps". France, Sweden and Poland also supported Mr Obama's statement.
Mr Abbas walked away from direct talks last September after Mr Netanyahu refused to extend a 10-month slowdown in settlement construction, throwing the peace process back into limbo only three weeks after the negotiations were announced.
Mr Netanyahu was widely criticised for scuttling those talks, but the Palestinians may now risk antagonising the US - a major donor country - in their pursuit of UN recognition.
The effort may ultimately prove futile because the US has veto power in the Security Council, which must approve an applications for membership before the General Assembly can vote on it.
Hanan Ashrawi, a prominent independent Palestinian politician, said Mr Abbas had little choice but to continue with the statehood bid, especially given Palestinian frustration over the lack of progress in peace talks.
"I personally predict public opinion is bent on going to the UN," she said. "Netanyahu managed to undermine every single attempt at launching serious negotiations."
Mr Abbas has so far kept a low profile in response to Mr Obama's speech, apparently gauging the public's mood by instead allowing his aides to publicly voice their reaction. He was scheduled to leave for Jordan yesterday for talks with King Abdullah II.
Mr Abbas must also contend with a reconciliation process that will eventually incorporate Hamas into a unity Palestinian government. Hamas have rejected Mr Obama's speech.
hnaylor@thenational.ae
* with additional reporting by Reuters, Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press
Company%C2%A0profile
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
