RAMALLAH, West Bank — Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has rejected former US Middle East peace envoy Martin Indyk’s repeated criticism of the Palestinian side during the nine-month talks with Israel. While Indyk has repeatedly suggested that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “shut down” toward the end of the negotiating period, Erekat cited the Obama administration’s refusal to offer any written proposal as undermining any chances of peace.
“I haven’t received any written proposal from [US Secretary of State John] Kerry. We are professionals here. The Americans presented 18 oral points and kept changing them,” Erekat said during an interview in the Palestinian negotiating department’s office in Ramallah. “If I get married, I sign a paper. If I get a job, I sign a contract. Do the United States and Israel not deal with issues in writing?”
