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French FM backs Palestinian statehood
Elior Levy--January 22, 2011
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4017233,00.html

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Saturday that her country does not recognize the legitimacy of West Bank settlements and that Israel must stop building them.

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Saturday that her country does not recognize the legitimacy of West Bank settlements and that Israel must stop building them.

`France supports the establishment of an independent, democratic Palestinian state as soon as possible,` she said at the conclusion of her visit to Israel.

Alliot-Marie visited the town of Sderot Friday after being attacked by angry Palestinians in the Gaza Strip earlier in the day.

Dozens of Gazans encircled the minister`s car while hurling eggs and shoes at it as result of a comment mistakenly attributed to Alliot-Marie, who was erroneously quoted as saying that the holding of Gilad Shalit is a war crime.

Meanwhile Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said the future state`s infrastructure would be ready by August, according to plan.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Fayyad defied skepticism voiced by other officials regarding his schedule. `Unless we have the spirit to defy it, it`s not going to happen. Unless we believe it, how is it going to become a reality?` he said.

But the leader stressed that a Palestinian state will have to include Hamas in Gaza, despite the current rift with Fatah in the West Bank. He also denied having a secret plan to disengage from Israel unilaterally.

`Getting ready for statehood, by itself, is not going to end the occupation. It`s necessary, but not sufficient. You need a political process to deliver on that,` he said.
dn
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