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PLO Raises Flag over Washington
by Maayana Miskin January 18, 2011 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/141817

The PLO flag flew in Washington, DC for the first time Tuesday, with PLO officials hoisting their banner over their United States mission.

Chief of Mission Maen Areikat praised U.S. officials for allowing the flag to go up. “I think it indicates the willingness of the American administration to deal with the realities on the ground,” he said.

“It's about time that this flag that symbolizes the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination and statehood be raised in the United States,” Areikat stated.

The Obama administration's willingness to allow the flag to go up was met with criticism from Republican representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Raising this flag in DC is part of the Palestinian leadership’s scheme to manipulate international acceptance and diplomatic recognition of a yet-to-be-created Palestinian state while refusing to directly negotiate with Israel or accept the existence of Israel as a democratic, Jewish state,” she said.

The PA has been working to convince the international community to recognize a new Arab state in all the territory between the 1948 armistice line and Jordan, in an attempt to circumvent talks with Israel. Israeli leaders have repeatedly rejected the PA's demand for all land east of the armistice line, saying that Israel plans to keep control of Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria, and of Jerusalem, Israel's capital.

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Palestinian flag in Washington ruffles feathers
By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER 01/19/2011 http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=204261&R=R4

PA envoy: Move "indicates the willingness of the American administration to deal with the realities on the ground.” Rep. Ros-Lehtinen says action is part of PA "scheme to manipulate int'l acceptance."

WASHINGTON – For the first time, the PLO hoisted its flag above its Washington mission on Tuesday, saying the symbolic step shows progress in the US-Palestinian relationship.

“It’s about time that this flag that symbolizes the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination and statehood be raised in the United States,” PLO Chief of Mission Maen Areikat said. “I think it indicates the willingness of the American administration to deal with the realities on the ground.”

Areikat unfurled the red, black, green and white flag above the brick Washington building housing the mission to applause from a small group of officials.

He said US permission to officially raise the flag at this time “means that the administration is serious, that they want to see the struggle of the Palestinian people concluded and the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

Areikat said the Palestinians are urging the US government to take concrete actions to make that state a reality.

Some in Washington opposed the move, however – including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida).

“Raising this flag in DC is part of the Palestinian leadership’s scheme to manipulate international acceptance and diplomatic recognition of a yet-to-be-created Palestinian state, while refusing to directly negotiate with Israel, or accept the existence of Israel as a democratic, Jewish state,” she said in a statement.

Ros-Lehtinen said the flag-hoisting continues the effort on the part of Palestinians to be recognized by foreign governments, and that it’s “part of the same strategy aimed at extracting concessions without being required to meet international commitments.”

She also criticized the Obama administration, saying, “The US has reinforced Ramallah’s rejectionism through economic and political support – including support for the PLO office in Washington, instead of requiring that they meet all conditions in US law.”

Ghaith al-Omari, advocacy director for the American Task Force on Palestine, defended the move and said it showed that the Palestinian Authority was making progress in the West Bank that was worth recognizing.

“The PLO mission would never have been... upgraded if it had not been for the progress the Palestinians have made... on improving security and governance,” he argued.

“It shows the Palestinians that once they start building their institutions and [using] diplomacy, that there are political dividends for that behavior,” he said, continuing that such positive reinforcement “is very useful.”

Omari added that Palestinians understand that such steps would not replace direct negotiations.

“Everyone knows ultimately a Palestinian state will not come into being without an agreement,” he said.