Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and the number-two House Democrat, Representative Steny Hoyer, accused Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of shunning direct peace talks in favor of "diplomatic warfare" against Israel. "Abbas has put at risk not only the Palestinian Authority's relationship with the US, but the aspirations of his own people," the lawmakers said, underlining the unity in the usually polarized US Congress on the issue.
"Congress will not sit idly by. The US will likely reconsider its assistance program for the PA (Palestinian Authority) and other aspects of US-Palestinian relations should the Palestinians choose to move forward in requesting a vote on statehood," they said.
Cantor and Hoyer's column in the New York Daily News came as world leaders meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York grappled with the Palestinian quest, which has drawn fire from Washington and its European partners.
"We urge Abbas to eschew the route of diplomatic warfare at the UN and embrace negotiations with Israel immediately," the lawmakers said. "Direct negotiations with Israel are the only way to achieve true and lasting peace." The two leaders said they still "remain hopeful" about the Palestinians and praised the Palestinian Authority's economic development and security ties with Israel they said have "improved the quality of life."
"Continued cooperation is a crucial part of ending terrorism and maintaining law and order in a future Palestinian state," they said. But "all of these positive changes have been a direct result of working toward peace with Israel. By disregarding these efforts, the PA is truly failing its people," they warned.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011