PM Salam Fayyad said his Israeli counterpart's support for Palestinian statehood falls short of local aspirations and could lead to what he called a ‘Mickey Mouse' state. Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu has said that any Palestinian state must be demilitarized and cannot have control of its airspace to prevent threats to Israel's security. Israeli restrictions "will amount to a Mickey Mouse state, if that, and that is not what we are looking for," Fayyad said at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah. He called on Netanyahu to "unequivocally" recognize the concept of a viable, independent Palestinian state in all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Fayyad also said that for the peace process to look credible to Palestinians, Israel must halt building in West Bank settlements. (Bloomberg)
