US: No need for the recognition of 'Jewish state' in Framework Agreement

“The main Israeli demand is that the PA recognise Israel as a Jewish state in a framework agreement, which is rejected by Ramallah until now,” the Israeli newspaper Maariv quoted, on its website on Sunday morning, the spokeswoman for the US State Department, Jen Psaki, as saying.

“The US’ position is clear about that: it recognises Israel as a Jewish state, but at the same time, it does not believe in the need for the two parties to recognise this position in the framework of the final agreement,” Psaki added.

The newspaper points out that the statements of the spokeswoman for the US State Department come on the eve of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to the United States to meet with the US President Barack Obama on the March 17 of this month in Washington.

Psaki explained that in the end, the Americans are interested in reaching a formula that is acceptable to both parties; Israel and the authority of Ramallah. The head of the Palestinian negotiating team, Saeb Erekat, recently revealed that he received the Palestinian version of the Framework Agreement, which was formulated by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Despite this, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry refused to address the issue, stressing that the framework agreement has not been set in its final form, considering what Erekat said as merely hypothetical with no officially backing.