Former Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said that the only solution to the conflict in the Middle East is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, stressing that Israel’s blockade of Gaza Strip and the continued Israeli settlement in the West Bank are among key factors fueling the conflict.
Speaking to an interview with on Tuesday, Razzaz called for greater US and European pressure on Israel in order to achieve a two-state solution, and put pressure on Israel to seriously negotiate this solution in accordance with relevant international resolutions.
“Regardless of who you negotiate with, you must sit with the Palestinians and negotiate with them. The Palestinians do not choose which Israeli government to negotiate with,” Razzaz said.
He added, “the problem with the approach towards the Middle East is ignoring the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” “It is a mistake to believe that expanding economic ties between Israel and countries in the region will end the Palestinian cause and the debate about it, because the Palestinians need to obtain their legitimate rights to establish their independent state.”
He warned that the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza would be disastrous and would not solve the problem, noting that Israel did not leave the Strip in 2005 in reality, but rather surrounded it with an iron wall and controlled exit and entry to it, turning it into the largest open prison in the world.
He added that things do not look good in the region, where any development of the conflict could quickly escalate to the regional and global level in the end.
Source: Jordan News Agency