JERUSALEM – Chile’s president on Sunday sought to mollify Israel over his country’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying that the move was ultimately for the good of the Jewish state. Speaking to journalists after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Jerusalem office, Sebastian Pinera echoed a phrase often used by his host, saying that any lasting peace must be based on security. “Chile has just recognised the Palestinian state because we have always thought that Israel has the right to live within secure borders, internationally-recognised borders, in peace,” he said in English. “We also think that the Palestinian people have the right to their own state, a free state, a democratic state,” he added.
On January 7, Santiago announced it was formally recognising Palestinian statehood, following the footsteps of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador. Israel opposes the policy, saying a Palestinian state should only be established through bilateral negotiations. Unlike its neighbours, Chile did not specifically refer to a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders — those which existed before Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem during the Six-Day War of that year.
Pinera on Sunday said recognition was fully compatible with a negotiated peace. “That’s why when we recognised the Palestinian state we made it very clear that the best way to reach a strong, secure, durable peace is by direct talks between the two countries,” he said. “If they reach an agreement, then peace will be built on rock, not on sand.” Pinera met on Saturday in Ramallah with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas, who reiterated his dismissal of any interim accord with Israel for a Palestinian state with provisional borders.
