Fayyad, who later met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said that "it is no longer enough to speak of wanting a state of our own." He stressed that the nature and character of that state the Palestinian people want are just as important. It is also important, he said, to lay the foundations for the kind of state the Palestinians want to build. He emphasized the need for security for Palestinians as well as for Israelis and condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas against Israeli population centers.
"Let me be clear that we are totally against the firing of rockets against Israeli towns from Gaza. And just as I reject the firing of rockets and all forms of violence from Gaza, so too do I reject the disproportionality of Israel's military actions and the collective punishment it has imposed on our people in Gaza."
The Palestinian prime minister outlined his vision for the future state. It requires progress on multiple tracks: governance, security and economics, in addition to the political track. In order to achieve all of that the prime minister said it requires "a serious and sustained commitment on the part of all parties; that includes the United States, the Quartet, the Arab states, and the broader international community.
He stressed the particular importance of the role the United States can play in such a venture, reminding President George W. Bush's promise made during the Annapolis peace conference last year to "end the occupation that began in 1967."
"The state we seek is one that must be open and democratic, based on the rule of law, respect for human rights, equality, cultural sensitivity, and religious tolerance," said the Palestinian prime minister. What the prime minister did not say was how his government would convince Hamas, which now governs Gaza on its own, where it applies its own rule of law, and where cultural sensitivities and religious tolerance have different meanings, to accept his government's vision of state building.
Still, Fayyad remained optimistic saying that the question in his mind was not whether Palestinians would succeed, but whether they would be allowed to succeed.
Peace he said, requires Palestinians to sit with Israelis – in good faith – to conclude the terms of an agreement that will resolve these and all other aspects of the conflict between us. Until that time, what is most desperately required is a cessation of all settlement activity in order to preserve the very possibility of a negotiated two-state solution and to revive public confidence in the process.
Said the prime minister: "We ask you to partner with us now, to invest in peace for Palestine."
This would be a sound investment indeed, because peace for Palestine has become a vital component of the national interest of the United States.