The Palestinian Authority and the European Union have cautioned Israel’s prime minister-designate, Benjamin Netanyahu, against forming a government that does not believe in a two-state solution for the Middle East. A government whose members are “totally against the establishment of a Palestinian state,” who continue to promote Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory and who “don’t see the need to negotiate with Palestinians as a way of achieving peace,” can only be described as “antipeace,” said Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki after talks in Brussels with top EU officials. “The Palestinian Authority is not interested in entering into negotiations with such a government,” Malki said.

“It is very clear from what we have heard, and from what we expect, that we are going to see a far-right Israeli government, an anti-peace government,” Malki said at the start of talks with EU officials. “And if that is the case, all efforts and all expectations for the renewal of negotiations between Israel and Palestine will be totally wasted,” Malki said. The foreign minister called on the international community to pile diplomatic pressure on the next Israeli government, saying, “We have to declare that, sadly, there is no partner on the Israeli side to negotiate with.”

Netanyahu’s Likud party has been holding talks with a number of right-wing parties in view of forming a government in the aftermath of the close result in the country’s February 10 parliamentary elections. But according to reports out of Israel, he also held fresh talks aimed at forming a grand coalition with Tzipi Livni’s conservative Kadima party. While the latter is open to a twostate solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, Netanyahu has said he does not believe a Palestinian state can be created any time soon. Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schw - arzenberg, who called the meeting as current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, said he hoped “very much that the new Israeli government will work for peace and for a two-state solution.”

His comments were echoed by the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, who said the EU would relate “very differently” to an Israeli government that was not committed to an independent Palestinian state. Malki, Schwarzenberg and Solana were joined by officials from Egypt, Jordan and the European Commission during dinnertime talks that focused on ongoing efforts to heal the rift between the two main Palestinian factions, Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah, as well as on developments in Israel. Fatah and Hamas are holding talks moderated by Egypt over the formation of a unity government, nearly two years after Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah in an outburst of bloody factional infighting. Ahead of the talks, Malki called on the international community to pile diplomatic pressure on the next Israeli government to recognize an independent Palestinian state.

He later repeated his views, saying the international community “should take measures to make sure that any government in Israel committed itself to peace with the Palestinians.” Schwarzenberg said EU officials had sought to “exchange information and views” on progress in overcoming the Gaza crisis in the aftermath of the December-January conflict and on the “ultimate goal of establishing an independent, viable and contiguous Palestinian state living side by side in security with Israel.”