Sovereign Palestinian state is not a threat, PLO chief tells Canada

Palestinian Liberation Organisation secretary-general Saeb Erekat told Canada the self-determination of Palestinians in their own state is not a threat.

Erekat, in a meeting with Canadian ambassadors to Palestine, Jordan and Israel in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, said a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders - with east Jerusalem as its capital - constitutes "the cornerstone for security, peace and stability in the region and the world, away from the policies and practices of the Israeli occupation authority".

He called on Canada to remember international law and legitimacy when casting votes regarding Palestine at the United Nations and other international institutions.

Erekat also thanked Ottawa for not moving the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

US President Donald Trump's decision to relocate America's embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested holy city, leading some countries to follow suit, caused widespread anger among Palestinians and garnered international condemnation.

A public opinion poll last year found the majority of Canadians believes that boycotting Israel is reasonable if the Israeli government continues to violate international law.

The EKOS survey which assessed Canadian attitudes on Israel and Palestine last March found that 78 percent of Canadians would agree with a boycott of Israel.

A majority of Canadians – 66 percent – believed that imposing sanctions on Israel would be reasonable in light of the United Nations' condemnations of illegal West Bank settlements.

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