PLO envoy in Washington: Settlers are becoming a threat to Israel too

In regard to a possible prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas for the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, Maen Rashid Areikat, a new PLO representative in the U.S. who is often referred to in Washington as "the Palestinian ambassador" says that "the PLO is not informed - we do not know the details about any potential deal between Hamas and Israel on Shalit and prisoner swap, we are not part of these discussions".

"We don't look at the prisoners issue from the same angle as Israel. Whether the release of the Hamas prisoners will weaken [Palestinian] President [Mahmoud] Abbas, and the need to balance that", he adds.

"We have very clear vision what our strategy is to serve and protect the interest of our people. President Abbas made it clear that the Palestinian leadership will not sign a final peace agreement unless Palestinian prisoners are released when the agreement issigned and not when it is implemented. You have 11,000 Palestinian prisoners- some of them were prisoners before Oslo. Israel opened dialogue with leaders of Palestinians who actually gave these people orders to launch attacks against Israel. And they made peace with the leadership - but kept people who carried the attacks in prisons. It doesn't make any sense if you want to open a new chapter".

He doesn't seem to believe that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is keen in his peace proposal, despite the recently declared moratorium on settlement construction.

"Since Netanyahu took office in April, he hasn't really taken any meaningful steps to change the situation on the ground. On the contrary - we believe he's taken steps to increase settlements, to confiscate more land, to evict Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem, to revoke ID's."

"He is trying to convince the Palestinians that we are the ones who don?t want to do anything, that we?ve made a strategic decision to delay negotiations. Why do you think we would do that? Aren't we the party who is paying the heaviest price for the lack of peace in region? It doesn't make any sense. We are ready, but we want to do it right. And we want to embark on a process that will lead to results and not just going over".

He calls the recent arson attack on the mosque in Yasuf, near Nablus, which by all indications was carried out by settlers "an abhorrent act carried out by dangerous extremists that cannot be tolerated. If these fanatics are not reined in by the Israeli government, it will provoke a response from Palestinians and lead to more violence. Israeli settlers do not belong on occupied Palestinian land and have always been a threat to Palestinians. Now they are becoming a threat to Israel as well."

"Just this past week the Netanyahu government announced that it would increase funding to West Bank settlements, including some that are home to hard-line extremists. Words of condemnation are not enough. We want to see action on the part of Israel. By Allowing the Palestinians to be free and independent Israel will be serving its own interests in the long term. Right now unfortunately we are seeing an Israeli leadership which is fixated on short term political gains. Israel doesn't want to talk to anybody. They are comfortable with the way things are".

He recognizes the strength of the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and suggests taking the phrase "putting pressure on Israel" out of the diplomatic lexicon.

"It can actually antagonize your counterpart", he says. "The U.S. should use 'leverage' rather than 'pressure.' This country provides lots of support for Israel - militarily, economically and politically. And they have been instrumental in actually aborting the Security Council resolutions that would expedite the resolution of the conflict. I think the U.S. has a crucial role when it comes to Israel, to say: 'We are your true friend, we fully support you, we are very much conscious about your security concerns,' but a true friend should tell Israel that the continuation of the existing policies are only playing into the hands of extremists on both sides. It's in Israel's best interests to reach the conclusion of this conflict, and to see a strong Palestinian neighbor. A weak neighbor is always a concern and trouble. Israelis must understand that the demographic balance is not going to be in their favor. And I don't think time is on the side of any party here. With all the external influences we have in this region, I don't know if five or ten years down the road the countries of the region will be in a position to make their own decisions".

Many foreign embassies are situated on "embassy row" on the outskirts ofWashington. The PLO mission is located near the lively Dupont circle. In thelobby there is a big model of Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem.Portraits of Abbas and Yasser Arafat hang on the wall in Areikat's office.

The ambassador, who is certainly enjoying his first diplomatic post and believes that he has been given the opportunity to work in Washington during an exciting time, nevertheless faces frustration because of the peace process that seems to have reached a deadlock.

"You have a Palestinian leadership committed strategically to achieving peace"' he says. "I don't think that the majority of the Palestinians are advocating another intifada. We strongly believe that violence doesn't serve the national interest of the Palestinian people. We are very clear and unequivocal about that. We are committed to pursue a peace agreement through peaceful means based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions. People can make statements out of frustration under occupation."

"Of course we should express our position about the occupation through peaceful means. But resorting to violence will only play to the hands ofIsrael and will allow Israelis to avoid dealing with the real issues. At the end of the day if the Palestinians are satisfied - the question is how Israelis will feel comfortable with the issue of security. I think the international community will be willing to work with them on this issue".

He says the mission enjoys fair contacts with the Administration officials - "They've been very good to provide this access to us, but it's still a challenging task because we don't see eye to eye with the administration on all issues. When we talk to them about re-launching the political process, we tell them that it's our experience with Israel that is making us more careful - we cannot embark on an open-ended process for the sake of the process, because that's our experience with Israel".

U.S. President Barack Obama's Nobel Prize will definitely increase pressure on him, says Areikat. "It's hard to be disappointed because he hasn't done anything bad .He took over with so much on his plate - he didn't create the crises in Iraq and Afghanistan, he didn't create the financial crisis. We have to be fair to him. He should be given an opportunity to translate his vision into a workable plan. To step down from his involvement - he can't do that."

"The previous administration tried to stay away from this conflict and they could not for so many reasons. It will be difficult for any U.S. administration to abandon the Middle East".

He is not sure whether "Obama's criteria" will add real value to the peace process. "We Palestinians believe there are enough terms of reference on the table from UN Security Council resolutions to the Arab peace initiative, to previous agreements that we signed. There are enough terms of reference to constitute a real solution to the conflict".

He thinks that the Palestinians still might have some image problems in the U.S. "It's not as bad as it used to be - when I went to school here in 80s, it was difficult to say that you are a Palestinian or a PLO supporter, the U.S. then actually banned any contacts with the PLO. I think more and more Americans are becoming educated about the conflict, they have access to the internet, to different media outlets. We lack sufficient resources ? human and financial - to match the Israeli lobby in this country. Different groups are working separately".

"We are not asking the U.S. to be pro-Palestinian", he adds. "We ask the U.S.government and the public to be even handed and balanced and to listen to both sides."

"I was on the Hill a month ago, and one senator came down hard on the Palestinians. I asked him: 'Senator, have you ever been to the Palestinian territories?' He said: 'No.' I said, 'and how many times have you been to Israel?' He said, '4 or 5 times.' So I said: 'How come you are not going to see with your own eyes what's happening on the ground? You cannot develop and shape your ideas if you don't talk to the other side.'"

The ambassador is a bit vague on the topic of a Palestinian Authority initiative to unilaterally declare independence. "We are not talking about unilateral declaration by the Palestinians, we are opposed to unilateral actions. We were opposed to the disengagement plan by the former prime minister [Ariel] Sharon because it was not coordinated with us. We oppose all Israeli actions that are preempting and prejudging the outcome of future negotiations, such as settlements, and all other actions in Jerusalem, because they are unilateral in nature."

"Political efforts are not yielding the desired results, therefore if we cannot reach tangible results soon through existing efforts maybe it's not a bad idea to take this issue to the UN in coordination with other countries. We have at the end of the day to find formula that is workable".

Addressing the recent discussions on where the loyalties of the self proclaimed 'pro-peace, pro-Israel' lobby J Street lie, he provides a more clear cut answer. "J Street is an American Jewish organization. I had a chance to meet them last year, before I became an ambassador, and I hope to meet them in the future. I think they represent a responsible viewpoint on the conflict, nobody can argue that they are pro-Israel. I think that is pro-Israel group that understands that it's in Israel's interest to reach an agreement today with the Palestinians and the Arabs. It's the only guarantee of Israel's survival and existence for many many years."

"I've always been optimistic," he concludes. "What choice do we have except to accept each other's right to exist in our own states, living in dignity, freedom and security next to each other? The issue here is that as long as Palestinians do not enjoy freedom and dignity - the Middle East will never enjoy stability."