Erekat admits PLO made a 'mistake' acknowledging Israel

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has admitted that the Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) acknowledgement of the existence of Israel might well have been a "mistake," considering Israel refuses to recognise a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.
In an interview with London-based daily pan-Arab newspaper, al-Hayat, Erekat said that at the time of negotiations, PLO officials had to ask Israel to define its borders, implicitly recognising its existence.
"Everyone is asking us will you return to negotiations? I say, yes, we would be the primary beneficiaries of US Secretary of State John Kerry's proposal if it succeeds, and suffer the most if it fails.
"We are interested in negotiations," Erekat added.
The negotiator's statements comes at a time when the population of settlers in West Bank has doubled, and Jerusalem has witnessed a quadruple increase since the signing of the Oslo Agreement in 1967.
Israeli officials have continued to demolish homes erected by Palestinians in East Jerusalem, or in areas classified as "C" under occupation, which is around 60 percent of West Bank.
On Wednesday, Hebrew newspaper Haaretz said that The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee had decided to build an alternative road that connects Jerusalem to the settlement of Ma'ali Adumim (West Bank), which passes through the E1 area.
In the same context, Hagit Ofran, an activist with the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, said the new part of the road is between 100-200m long, and will allow the Palestinians to cross the region (E1) in a way that allows for Israel to "cover its tracks."
The Israeli proposals have been announced just a week before US Secretary Kerry makes his fifth scheduled visit to the region since February 2012, in a bid to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.
Kerry is expected to hold talks with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, along with Israeli and Jordanian officials.
The Palestinian leadership is facing the difficult decision of either going to the United Nations and pushing for the implementation of its various charters, such as Geneva IV, which safeguards civilian rights under occupation, or to sit on the negotiating table with Israel.
Erekat told al-Hayat: "The will be action in The Hague (International Court of Justice), because destroying houses is a war crime, and building of settlements is a war crime too."
The negotiator explained that since being given the status of UN observer non-member state at the end of last year, the situation of Palestinians is now different to what it was before.
"Every inch of the land occupied in 1967 is Palestinian land. We have the right to accede to all organisations and agencies of the United Nations, and those who fear international justice should bring an end to war crimes."