clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Erekat: US has not proposed Beit Hanina as a capital of Palestine

April 12, 2014 at 10:17 am

The US “has not yet delivered anything written to the Palestinian side” regarding the negotiations framework agreement, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Saeb Erekat said.


Denying recent rumours that he received a copy of the negotiations during his stay in the United States last week, Erekat stressed in a press release that “the debate is continuing with the American side on all issues, but the US has not provided anything in writing yet.”

He denied rumours that America has suggested Beit Hanina, located in the northern part of East Jerusalem, as the capital of the Palestinian state rather than East Jerusalem.

“Neither the US nor the Israeli side has suggested that Beit Hanina should be the capital of the Palestinian state. What was spread in this regard is incorrect,” Erekat said.

He siad the US asserted that Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners on March 29 to complete the implementation of the fourth and final stage of the release of prisoners who were arrested before the signing of the Oslo Accords.

He added: “We have agreed that the prisoners who were detained before the Oslo Accords will be released in four batches, the last of them, which include 30 Palestinian prisoners, will be implemented on March 29.

“This action is a separate step from the negotiations, as the price for the release of prisoners was that the Palestinians would not seek membership with any UN institutions for a period of nine months, this was confirmed by the US.”