Palestinian State Institutions In 2 Years: Prime Minister

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Institutions for an independent Palestinian state should be up and running within two years, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Monday, for the first time setting such a target date.

Little state-building was accomplished in the first decade after the Palestinian Authority was established in the mid-1990s, at a time when the late Yasser Arafat, known for his chaotic style of governing, was at the helm.

In recent years, the international community has focused on institution building, including training the Palestinian security forces and modernizing government ministries.

Well-run government institutions will make a strong case for ending Israeli occupation, said Fayyad, a respected economist.

"It is possible to build the institutions of the state in two years, and this will put before the entire world the political requirement of ending the occupation," said Fayyad, in presenting the two-year program of his government.

However, Fayyad also pointed to one of the main obstacles to statehood _ the internal Palestinian division.

Since the Islamic militant Hamas overran Gaza two years ago, Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Fayyad government have only controlled the West Bank. "Ending the occupation and building the state requires ending the split," Fayyad said.

Also, Israeli control of the West Bank, where there are more than 120 Jewish settlements, is not likely to ease until there is a peace treaty with the Palestinians setting agreed borders. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war. A year of peace talks under Israel's previous, more moderate government made no discernible progress. The current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has taken a tougher stance than his predecessor.

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Despite the presentation of a two-year plan, Fayyad's term might not run that long. Egypt has been mediating on-again, off-again reconciliation talks between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement. If the talks succeed, Fayyad would probably be replaced as premier by a Hamas leader.

Also Monday, a group that advocates for Arab human rights charged that Israel has been illegally selling houses belonging to Palestinian refugees.

About 700,000 Palestinians fled or were evicted from their homes during the two-year war that followed Israel's creation in 1948. The group, Adalah, charged that Israel's own laws prevent selling their property, but in recent years 250 have been put up for sale.

The Israel Lands Administration did not return repeated telephone requests for comment. Throughout its six decades of existence, Israel has made use of abandoned properties and houses, and it was unclear how these cases differed.

Palestinians demand the right of the refugees and their millions of descendants to return to their original homes or choose compensation. Israel rejects the principle of returning refugees, saying they should be resettled in a Palestinian state, but has offered compensation.

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Associated Press writer Diaa Hadid contributed to this report from Jerusalem.

Comments

[DeniseA]

And yes, I agree MOST Palestinians aren't terrorists.

[arle]

Kind of like most Israelis are not natives.

[myopinion2]

I know that Netanyahu is viewed by most of you here as a near-demonic figure, but this column supports Netanyahu's charge that the time is not yet ripe for a Palestinian state because they do not yet have the institutions necessary to govern a state. Perhaps the best notion is a peace agreement within the year, and a 1 - 2 year phase-in of the agreement. Of course, just as in Ireland, disarming of Hamas and Fatah militants, leaving the professional Palestinian security forces as the only armed entity, is a pre-condition for implementing an agreed-upon peace treaty.

[arle]

Really? Because it seems to me that with authorizing the construction of even more illegal settlements in the West Bank, it's pretty clear that Netanyahu is actively sabotaging Palestinian statehood.

Was there anyone telling Zionists that it wasn't time for /them/ to form a state? And did they listen? The hypocrisy is almost toxic.

[myopinion2]

We know your ideological bent. But if you actually responded to the ideas and facts in others' posters, instead of spouting the same old same old, we could have a dialogue. But it doesn't appear you have any interest in one.

[Sentientbeing09]

When Israel declared statehood sixty years ago, all that the zionists required was a declaration of statehood. At the time, Israel had even less recognition, organization and civilian infrastructure than Palestinian statehood does now.

Early zionists didnt seek nor require any blessing from the Prime Minister of an occupying power.

All that is required of Netanyahu is to instruct the IDF to end the occupation.
Thats it. Thats all that is required of him.

[CanisLatrans]

Getting the Palestinians togethe ron one sheet of music will be one of the best things that ever happened to them. Having an organized, respectable government and the institutions that go with it-- especially with a court of law that holds both society and the leaderts accountable-- will help stabilize the area.

As long as there is chaos and warlordism, with no accountable government worth note, the Israelis will always have an excuse to remain.

I do, however, have deep concerns about the idea of a Hamas leader. So far as I know, the entire existence and "legitimacy" of Hamas as an organization is still openly bent towards destruction and killing, and nothing for seeking peaceful political solution. Unless we have a "Palestinian deGaulle", at least, which is a possibility.

Obviously, we'll have to wait until Bibi the Robber Baron is out... I love Israel but I can't stand that guy and his love-fest with the hard-right pro-Settlement religious nutcakes. They are the biggest threat to Israeli security now...

[TJCole]

2 years incredible, considering you've have 60 years to work on it...!

[arle]

It's a little hard to build your house when your neighbor comes in every so often to bulldoze it.

[arle]

I hope the Palestinian government does consolidate and establish itself but it's not going to happen if Fatah bows to Western pressure (and payoffs) and tries to cut Hamas completely out from the government. People forget that we /had/ a reasonably stable unity government -- that was sabotaged by our own state department.

Here's a refresher course, if you've forgotten:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804

[JohnnyLee]

I like the story in the image caption.

[arle]

Goes to show that most Palestinians aren't terrorists and there are plenty of Jews who decry Israel's oppressive policies too.

[DeniseA]

Defensive policies would be more accurate.

[whoa20]

of course, this IS if the Palestinians don't miss the opportunity from Bibi. All they have to do is not force a Trojan Horse of refugees into Israel, accept that their history entitles demand for a demilitarized state, and accept the fact that Israel is the legitimate Jewish State, and voila! We have a Palestine.

[DarkSlope]

The creation and maintenance of a Palestinian State does not have to be governed by Israeli policy. You pro-Israeli people have some nerve demanding to dictate the policies of indigenous peoples and their governments just so that you can live there too. It is about time that Israelis started making concessions to live peacefully with their neighbors, because when it comes down to it, Israeli is the greatest military threat to peace and instability in the region.

[lightningbolt]

The Palestinians are not the native inhabitants of Israel. The Jews have been living there for thousands of years before the Arabs arrived and violently conquered the land and forced everyone they could to convert to Islam.

[pomegrante]

The picture is beautiful of the mixture of people holding hands.