RAMALLAH, Feb 13 (JMCC) - Palestinian prime minister
Salam Fayyad renewed his commitment to continue building Palestinian institutions, thereby wooing the international community to support Palestinian statehood in late 2011.
Speaking
to the Washington Post, Fayyad said that he knew of no country prepared to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state in the United Nations.
Palestinians are planning a bid in the world body for statehood by September, a move they hope would place more pressure on
Israel to end its 44-year occupation of the
West Bank and
Gaza Strip.
We are preoccupied with getting the structure of a functioning state.
Over the next few months, if we manage to project a sense of maturity, mature institutions of the state functioning, performing up to high international standards, then to the whole world this must look like a case where the only thing that is anomalous about the situation is the continuing Israeli occupation. That is when there will be tremendous pressure on the political process to end the occupation.
Will that entail going to the United Nations? Sooner or later we have to go to the United Nations, but my own concept of that is to go to the United Nations holding hands with all of humanity. The idea is for the reality of the state to just be there in a manner that cannot be overlooked by anyone.