Israel-Palestine Analysis: Ramallah's International Gains v. West Jerusalem's Version of "Peace"

The Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, without offering details, said Sunday that about ten more European Union capitals will upgrade the status of Palestinian delegations in the near future:

The Israelis are afraid that the issue of recognition of a Palestinian state would enter the EU. We urge the international community to salvage the two-state solution by recognizing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.

The best description of Ramallah's expectations from the international developments came from a PA official who talked to The Jerusalem Post. He said that the Palestinian pursuit of international recognition will shift the conflict from one over “occupied Palestinian territories” to one over an “occupied state with defined borders".

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was describing the meaning of "peace": "The search for peace is important and my government will continue to act toward it. We want peace, because we do not want war."

According to the premier, the claims that the peace process was deadlocked because of his coalition government's were wrong. The only reason of the standstill was "the delegitimization campaign against Israel": "The origin of the attacks on Israel's legitimacy isn't based on the events of 1967 or 1948 yet they oppose the existence of the Jewish state."

Netanyahu is arguing that the issues of settlements or borders are only the vehicles for intentional attacks based on a hidden agenda. So, rather than initial pursuit of a Palestinian state, discussions should begin with an "honest" approach to the "survival of the Jewish state" which must be proven through "some flexibility" by Ramallah at the negotiation table.