Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu must accept US President’s peace guidelines for talks to resume

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must accept US President Barack Obama's vision for Mideast peace if talks with the Palestinian Authority are to resume.

Erekat's comments came in response to Israel's rejection of the US president's support of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders, with Netanyahu claiming that such a move would make Israel's borders "indefensible."

Speaking to the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA on Sunday, Erekat said that an Israeli acceptance of Obama's guidelines was essential if stalled negotiations were to resume. He added that as far as the Palestinians were concerned peace talks "actually aim at realizing Obama's objective, the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with these borders, along with swap of territories."

"Now, we would like to hear from Netanyahu about his stance regarding this principle, declared by President Obama," Erekat went on to say.

As a sign of what he said was Israel's rejection to the principles stated in Obama's speech, Erekat slammed the Israeli decision to approve 1,500 homes in occupied Jerusalem ahead of his travel to the US last Friday.

Referring to Netanyahu's planned speech before AIPAC, the powerful US pro-Israel lobby, Erekat said it will be senseless to continue the talk about peace if Netanyahu continues to reject the theme of establishing two independent states. "The recognition of the Palestinian state is a sovereign issue for every state," he added.