A senior member of Fatah’s Foreign Relations team met on Monday with the new Argentinian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority. Nabil Shaath, who is also a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, met Ambassador Eduardo Demayo in Ramallah. They discussed cooperation possibilities and ways of strengthening relations and communication between the Palestinians and Argentina.
Shaath stressed the strong bilateral relations between Palestine and the South American country, praising the role of Mr. Demayo’s predecessor as well as the support of the Latin American countries for the Palestinian issue, not least with recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state at the United Nations.
In reviewing with the Ambassador developments in the Palestine-Israel conflict, especially regarding the expansion of Israeli settlements, Shaath also touched on the results of last week’s election and the blow to Netanyahu and his extremist right-wing coalition. He suggested that it has not caused a comprehensive change in the Israeli position, but has put Netanyahu in trouble due to his failed policies and repeated attempts to divert attention from what is happening on the ground, such as settlement activity, the Judaisation of Jerusalem and the Gaza siege.
“Netanyahu is trying to divert attention by dramatising the Iranian nuclear threat and, more recently, the issue of Syria’s chemical-weapons,” Shaath said. He spoke of the need to put international pressure on the Israeli government to comply with the requirements of peace, including a complete end to settlement expansion and the Judaisation of Jerusalem.
In response, Mr. Demayo stressed his country’s full support for Palestine in all fields, pointing out that he is authorised by his government to do everything possible to support the leadership and people of Palestine.