By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 3 --
When the State
of Palestine's
Hanan Ashrawi
held a press
conference at
the UN in New
York on
September 2,
she announced
that a team
will be
meeting with
US Secretary
of State John
Kerry on
September 3,
to make clear
the demand for
the end of
Israel's
occupation by
“a date
certain.”
After Kerry's
3:30 to 5:30
pm meeting on
September 3,
the State
Department
spokesperson
issued this
read-out:
"Secretary
Kerry met with
Saeb Erekat
and Majid
Firaj for
about two
hours this
afternoon. It
was a
constructive
conversation
that covered a
range of
issues,
including
Gaza,
Israeli-Palestinian
relations, and
recent
developments
in the region.
They agreed to
continue the
dialogue in
the weeks
ahead."
On
September 2, Inner
City Press
asked Ashrawi
“which date,”
and by which
date certain
Palestine
wants a
resolution to
be voted on in
the UN
Security
Council.
There's been
some delay in
the Council.
Many diplomats
have
complained to
Inner City
Press about
that, and
about
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
delay or lack
of clarity
about setting
up a UN Board
of Inquiry as
in 2009 (when
Ban allowed
himself to be
lobbied.)
Inner City
Press asked
about this as
well.
In her
opening
remarks
Ashrawi said
that Israel's
unilateral
buffer zone of
300 or 500
meters takes
most of Gaza's
agricultural
land. She said
“there is no
peace
process,” that
Israeli Prime
Minister
Benyamin
Netanyahu
reneged on
promises he
made to John
Kerry.
Later
in the press
conference,
see below,
Ashrawi
answered both
Inner City
Press
questions. She
said the State
of Palestine
wants the
occupation to
end within
three years.
She said a
Board of
Inquiry should
be set up,
asking
rhetorically,
if the UN
doesn't even
respect its
own laws, when
it was a
deliberate
act, the
coordinates of
the UNRWA
schools had
repeatedly
been given.
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