Eastern border security strictly Palestinian responsibility, Israel not a party

"Border security is strictly the duty of Palestinian security bodies, and only an international force deployed virtue of a legal agreement and arrangement has right to monitor implementation of items of any final-status agreement," stressed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in remarks in Areeha (Jericho) Sunday night. Abbas was addressing the first batch of graduates from Istiqlal University, and stressed the eastern borders of Palestinian territories is an issue which involves the Palestinians and the Jordanians alone and no third party, referring to Israel. This comes in response to an Israeli demand to keep control over the Aghwar region in any peace agreement with the Palestinians. "We are working with the US and Quartet mediators to bring the peace process into fruition, and I stress and reiterate that we are genuinely seeking a just and lasting solution to our conflict with the Israelis through the negotiations currently taking place with US mediation and Arab and international support. Suggesting Israel does not reciprocate such willingness and fails to meet the Palestinians half way, he continued "We shall show good will till the end, the universally acknowledged period being six to nine months, and should we meet with good will and peaceful intentions on the other side, then we are ready to make peace." On support to Israeli settlements, Abbas urged European and other international companies to stop dealing with settlements as this constitutes a violation of International Law. "We are in constant contact with the European Union and other countries, and the EU has acknowledged that dealing in goods produced by Israeli settlements is 'illegal'." The PA president stressed importance of implementing EU procedures regarding this issue on the set date in early 2014. The EU recently issued a directive that states that all future agreements with the Israelis must "explicitly exclude" settlements in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. Understandably, this stance was met favorably by the Palestinians but caused uproar on the Israeli side. The EU guidelines will prohibit the issuing of grants, funding, prizes, or scholarships unless a settlement exclusion clause is included. Israeli institutions and bodies situated across the pre-1967 Green Line "including the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed" will be automatically ineligible.