The negotiations department of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) reiterated yesterday the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the two-state solution, based on the United Nations' General Assembly resolution, 194.

The department was responding to a report by the Washington Times newspaper, which highlighted the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a new American administration will be installed soon. The negotiations department also reaffirmed that the only path to achieving peace is the establishment of a viable Palestinian state on all lands occupied by Israel in 1967, including the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. In addition, it confirmed it would not accept any partial solution for the conflict, such as a transitional temporary Palestinian state in the West Bank only. The outgoing American administration of President Gorge W. Bush envisoned last November a two-state solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, yet no concrete progress has been achieved since then.

The U.S Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, defended yesterday her administration's failure to achieve Palestinian-Israeli peace by the end of 2008.

On her flight back from the World Economic Partnership conference in the Peruvian capital, Mrs. Rice believed that her outgoing administration has laid the foundations for a serious Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The outgoing U.S administration has envisioned a two-state solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, yet such an objective is yet to be realized, as Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have yet failed to agree on contentious issues.

The head of the Hamas Islamic movement in Gaza, Ismail Haniyya, said Friday that the armed wing of Hamas, and other armed factions, would remain committed to a truce with Israel, but only if Israel ceases its daily military attacks.

"I have met with armed factions over the past two days and they stated their position clearly: they are committed to calm as long as (Israel) abides by it," said Hanniya to a Reuters reporter in Gaza.

 

The statement came in the midst of a violent week in the coastal territory, in which four Palestinian fighters were killed by Israeli forces.  Palestinian resistance fighters also fired several homemade shells across the border into Israel this week after the killings, but no injuries were reported on the Israeli side.  Palestinian homemade shells are crude rockets made of metal pipes stuffed with dynamite, and cannot be aimed with any precision.

 

The Israeli military, on the other hand, has the fourth largest army in the world, with precision drones and missiles that are fired at Palestinian population centers on a regular basis.  Israeli military officials say that the 'targeted assassination' policy is allowed under Israeli law, but the missiles often injure and kill civilian bystanders, rendering the policy a violation of international law.

 

The Israeli military has kept all border crossings into Gaza closed, in another violation of international law.  Tony Blair, serving as the UN envory for Mideast Peace, stated Friday, "The only lasting solution to the desperate situation in Gaza will require an end to terrorist attacks, continued restraint, and the opening of the crossings."

 

Israel did not give a response to the offer by Ismail Haniyya, but Israeli military officials have stated in recent days that they plan to step up attacks in the Gaza Strip.