RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday unveiled his government’s plans to create a de facto state in two years as international efforts to restart Middle East peace talks grind on.
The Palestinian government is determined to build state institutions without waiting for the outcome of peace talks with the Israelis, Fayyad said at a news conference in the occupied West Bank’s political capital of Ramallah.
“The Palestinian government is struggling determinedly against a hostile occupation regime, employing all of its energies and available resources, most especially the capacities of our people, to complete the process of building institutions of the independent State of Palestine in order to establish a de facto state apparatus within the next two years,” he said.
“This can and must happen within two years,” he said, calling on Palestinians — deeply divided since the June 2007 Hamas takeover of Gaza, the smaller part of their promised state — to rally behind the plan. “We must confront the whole world with the reality that Palestinians are united and steadfast in their determination to remain on their homeland, end the occupation and achieve their freedom and independence,” he said. “The world should also know that we are not prepared to continue living under a brutal occupation and siege that flouts not only the law, but also the principles of natural justice and human decency.
“This government seeks to involve all sectors and segments of society in the national drive to develop and advance our institutions.”
— With input from agencies
