Egyptian president opines in 'Wall Street Journal' that "A historic settlement is within reach."
mubarak 224.88(photo credit: AP [file])By JPOST.COM STAFFEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Friday said determining the "contiguous" borders of a future Palestinian state was the first priority of getting the Israeli Palestinian peace process back on track.
In a piece entitled How to Achieve Israeli-Palestinian Peace in Friday's Wall Street Journal, Mubarak opined that US President Barack Obama's "seminal" address in Cairo earlier this month had shown that "it is issues of politics and policy, not a clash of values, that separate the Muslim world and America. It is the resolution of these issues that will heal the divide."
"Among the host of challenges before us," Mubarak continues, "it is the Palestinian issue that requires the greatest urgency, given the precarious state of the peace process after years of stalemate."
Mubarak reiterated the Arab world's commitment to the Saudi peace initiative, citing the Beirut summit of 2002 where the initiative was adopted by the Arab League.
He said Israel's "relentless settlement expansion, which has seriously eroded the prospects for a two-state solution," must come to a stop if the peace initiative is to be successfully implemented, as well as the closure of Gaza. The Palestinians, Mubarak writes, must "continue to develop their institutional capacity while overcoming their division to achieve their aspirations for statehood."
The first priority, the Egyptian president says, is "to resolve the permanent borders of a sovereign and territorially contiguous Palestinian state, based on the 1967 lines, as this would unlock most of the other permanent status issues, including settlements, security, water and Jerusalem."
"A historic settlement is within reach," Mubarak wrote. "Egypt stands ready to seize that moment, and I am confident that the Arab world will do the same."RECOMMENDED STORIESHow is Iran still launching missiles at Israel despite Israeli airstrikes?JUNE 16, 2025IDF pummels Tehran with heavy fire, 50 Israeli fighter jets take part in attacksJUNE 15, 2025A volcano ready to blow: Middle East erupts with Israeli strikes on IranJUNE 15, 2025Starlink operating in Iran, Elon Musk says, as Islamic regime shuts internet downJUNE 14, 2025Hot OpinionIf Israel is going to survive war with Iran, its people cannot lose hopeByJPOST EDITORIALAs Iran vows our destruction, Israel unitesByYAIR LAPIDFive takeaways from the bomb shelter: Reflections on the Israel-Iran WarByDAVID BRINNIsrael strikes Iran: Strategic success or start of an uncertain future?BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF