Netanyahu warns the Palestinians
Palestine-Israel-USA, Politics, 4/27/1999

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated threats against the Palestinians, warning against the declaration of a Palestinian statehood. In a statement to Israel Radio on Monday morning Netanyahu stressed that his government has decided to take tough measures in case a Palestinian state is declared.

He added that among these measures will be halting the implementation of what Israel had committed itself to in the Oslo agreement. Netanyahu stated that his government will not be silent to a Palestinian decision that "violates signed agreements" and will strongly respond to the declaration of the Palestinian state.

Israel Radio said that the Israeli warning came in a message conveyed to the Palestinian side on Sunday night by Netanyahu's political advisor, just hours before convening the Palestinian central council due today in Gaza to discuss the possibility of declaring a Palestinian independent state after May 4.

Well-informed sources at the office of the Israeli prime minister said the US knows well the measures the Israeli government led by Netanyahu intends to take against the Palestinians if a Palestinian state is declared and that Washington is working to convince the Palestinian Authority not to take such a step.

On Monday, the Israeli dailies Haartez and Yediot Ahronot unveiled the content of the message the US President Bill Clinton intends to send today to the Palestinians. The message includes American guarantees against the approval of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to a state for one year.

Clinton's message has six items, according to which the US administration pledges to raise the level of Washington's relations with the Palestinian authority: the US administration's adherence to work for Israel's implementation of all its obligations, immediately according to Oslo and Wye Plantation agreement; resuming negotiations on final status within one year; the objective of final settlement negotiations is to reach the execution of UN Security council resolutions 242 and 338; self-determination for the Palestinian people as free people on their own territories; and criticism for the Israeli settlement policy and the impact of this policy on the Middle East peace process.

Previous Stories:
  US calls for one year extension of peace process   (4/26/1999)
  Arafat says Netanyahu does not honor agreements   (4/22/1999)
  US and Israel on the verge of major rift over settlements   (4/16/1999)

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