New Palestinian PM wants to work with Israel

CNN ^ | 6/28/2007 | cnn

[tobyhill]

RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- The new Palestinian government is seeking "intensive and active cooperation" with Israel to ensure that the chaos that recently gripped Gaza does not re-emerge in the West Bank, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told CNN on Thursday.

"We have sent that message [to Israel], and we are waiting to get started with this," Fayyad said in his first interview with a Western network since he was appointed to the post more than a week ago.

Fayyad rejected the notion that his stance on dealing with Israel might be seen by some Palestinians as collaborating with the occupying force in the West Bank.

"I have thick skin when it comes to these characterizations," he said. "They don't matter in the least; it doesn't concern me.

"I know what I want to do, I know what the mission is -- to serve the interests of the Palestinian people."

Fayyad said security is a top priority, and he cautioned Palestinians not to use armed resistance as the only way to fight for an independent state.

"It's about time that we know what works and what doesn't work," he said. "And it's not enough to stop at statements and pronouncements like, 'Resistance is [the] right of any occupied people.'

"We certainly are [occupied], and that certainly is a right. But I think we have to have some sense of what has happened over the past ... seven, eight years.

[sgtbono2002]

Give us time to gather enough strength to throw you out.

Thats his message.

[rwgal]

his first order of business it to make sure that we spell his name correctly on the checks we send over there.

I have no confidence in him already.

Meadow Muffin

[honestfreedom69]

“he cautioned Palestinians not to use armed resistance as the only way to fight for an independent state. “

To say it is not the only way, indicates that it is still one of the ways. If they were doing as good a puff piece as they were trying to, they should have left out that quote.