Czech foreign minister urges peace talks

Lubomír Zaorálek, minister of foreign affairs of the Czech Republic, urges peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and warns that if Jerusalem doesn’t advance an initiative, it will face “inevitable” international isolation.

“The two-state endeavor is about 80 years old… We have seen numerous attempts to bring the idea to life. We have not, however, seen any results,” he says.

The various rounds of peace talks begin with enthusiasm, end with rage and a “blame game, which is in a sense an overture to the next round of negotiations.

“Too much history, too little land, and zero progress,” he continues.

“A privilege of a good friend is to be frank and outspoken,” he adds, affirming Czech-Israel ties.

And if Israel does not advance a peace initiative, he opines, “I fear that the years to come may be very difficult.

“We emphasized in the past, and we are pointing out today… the only outcome we envisage is two independent states living side by side in peace and security.”

Zaorálek says that he recently visited the Gaza Strip, and maintains Prague “strictly condemns” rocket fire on Israeli civilians.

“But at the same [time], when I saw this very large amount of unemployment in this territory… it is something that must be solved,” he says.

The minister adds that, in Europe, Israel is largely seen as responsible for the lack of negotiations.

“Israel will take most of the punches. The prevailing notion in the EU is that Israel is responsible for the diplomatic deadlock,” primarily due to settlement construction. He says the Palestinian internal divides must be resolved before a two-state solution can be implemented.

“To sum it up, the current picture is pretty grim.” He claims that, since the last round of peace talks, “not much has changed,” but “we have to keep trying, though.”

The minister of foreign affairs offers to host peace talks in Prague and lays out what Israel and the Palestinians must do to push them forward. Israel must release tax funds and halt settlement construction — “the biggest obstacle to a viable Palestinian state” — which the Czech Republic “strongly opposes.

“It goes without saying that the Palestinians must do their homework too,” he goes on, demanding “unequivocal and sincere condemnation of violence against the Israeli population” as well as “concrete measures” to stop violence.

“The State of Israel is a great country,” he says, praising its economic and military strength. “Israel has every reason to be self-confident and courageous, and is in a comfortable position to take up the challenge.”

But if Israel does not work to reinstate peace talks (a move that he says will force Palestinian participation), “our cooperation will become more difficult,” he warns, adding that he would sincerely regret that.