The U.S.-led "Quartet" driving Middle East peace talks gave a qualified approval to a Palestinian plan for statehood within two years.
"Recalling that transformative change on the ground is integral to peace, the Quartet welcomes the Palestinian Authority's plan for constructing the institutions of the Palestinian state within 24 months as a demonstration of the P.A.'s serious commitment to an independent state that provides opportunity, justice, and security for the Palestinian people and is a responsible neighbor to all states in the region," said the statement issued late Thursday by the grouping of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
Israeli officials rejected the two-year plan for statehood proposed earlier this month by P.A. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, saying it amounted to a unilateral move.
The Quartet statement also called for adherence to earlier agreements "irrespective of reciprocity," a pointed reference to Israel's longstanding position that action on freezing settlements must be preceded by an end to terrorism.
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