Chile's recognition of Palestine useless: Israel

Chile's recognition of an independent Palestinian state is "useless" and will not help advance peace, a senior Israeli official told AFP yesterday.
"It is a useless and empty gesture because it will not change anything," the official said a day after Chile announced it has recognised Palestine as an independent state, in the footsteps of other Latin American countries.
"It will not advance the cause of peace by an inch," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Chilean government adopted on Friday a resolution "recognising the existence of the state of Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state," Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno said in Santiago.
"The Chilean announcement, like those preceding it in Latin America, will not encourage the Palestinians to negotiate," the Israeli official said.