Dep FM Ayalon Surprised at PA Negotiator Erekat’s Rejection of a Public Debate: „The Palestinians are only able to debate unilaterally”

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon responded to Palestinian Authority Negotiator Saeb Erekat’s rejection of a public debate. Earlier, Ayalon had
proposed a public debate on issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after Erekat sent out an official press release calling the Deputy Foreign
Minister’s recent YouTube video titled The Truth About the West Bank, „a falsified account of history and international law”.

 „I am more than a little surprised that
Erekat rejected my offer of an open and public debate, especially considering he
was concerned enough about our video to release a two page official press
release” Ayalon said. „Erekat is used to telling the world that
Israel’s policies are illegal and
against international law and I offered him the chance to back up his own
statements and he is proving unable or unwilling to do
so.” 
 „Like its diplomatic policies, it
appears that the Palestinian Authority is only able to debate
unilaterally.” 
 The video released under two weeks ago,
has already garnered a quarter of a million views worldwide and is encouraging a
debate on the rarely heard Israeli position on the West
Bank, settlements and international law.

 „Erekat was very quick to react to the
video when it was released but now his evasion speaks volumes of a Palestinian
Authority political leadership which has hijacked the public debate for too
long,” Ayalon added. „It demonstrates that their rhetoric is just empty words
and slogans and folds like a house of cards once it is tested.”

The video that sparked the controversy can be viewed at www.youtube.com/dannyayalon