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Inside the Middle East
October 13, 2010
Posted: 1619 GMT

A top Palestinian negotiator distanced the Palestinian Authority government from comments made by a senior Palestinian Liberation Organization official inferring  Palestinians might recognize Israel as a Jewish state in exchange for a future Palestinian state based on 1967 borders that included all of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

 "We are not going to do anything that would pre-empt or prejudge the rights of the Palestinians in Israel or Palestinian refugees" Nabil Sha'ath, an advisor to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, told CNN. "We are not going to do it – forget it"

Sha'ath's comments followed a  report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoting PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo as saying "We want to receive a map of the State of Israel which Israel wants us to accept....If the map will be based on the 1967 borders and will not  include our land, our houses and East Jerusalem, we will be willing to recognize Israel according to the formulation of the government within the hour,"

He went on to tell the newspaper "It is important for us to know where are the borders of Israel and where are the borders of Palestine. Any formulation the Americans present – even asking us to call Israel the 'Chinese State' – we will agree to it, as long as we receive the 1967 borders. We have recognized Israel in the past, but Israel has not recognized the Palestinian state."

Sha'ath told CNN that Abed Rabbo's comments, as reported, did not represent  the position of the PLO or the Fatah political faction which dominates the Palestinian Authority.

On Monday Palestinians rejected an offer from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau to renew a freeze on new construction in the occupied West Bank in exchange for Palestinian recognition of Isarel as a Jewish state.

Arab Knesset member, Ahmed Tibi,  told CNN that in a phone conversation Wednesday with Mahmoud Abbas the Palestinian president assured him there was no intention to recognize Israel a Jewish state.

CNN, despite repeated attempts, was unable to contact Abed Rabbo for comment.

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Filed under: Fatah •Israel •Palestinians •West Bank


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Bill   October 13th, 2010 5:54 pm ET

Another President fails. This comedy is going on for a very long time.
Israel has no fear of Palestinians or the neighbours. Israel plan through the years, is grab more land and has done so slowly with good planing.
Every time there is a peace effort Israel finds the right move to take advantage of the situation.
How can Israel withstand the pressure of most of the world? Simple they control the United States congress and the senate. It always had this control by intimidation and money. You want to be elected or re elected, rule one support Israel. American citizens of the Jewish faith a minority with less than 2% of the population have more political power than African Americans and Hispanics with a combined population of over 30%. The problem now is their enemies, are targeting the United States. Three or four more fiascos like the twin towers or worst, this support for Israel will wane big time. How many more wars can we fight? We are broke and we have bled heavily.
I don't have an answer, but if I was Israel, I would not want the United States to weaken any farther because China is waiting in the wings ready to take over. No one intimidates China.

Filipe   October 14th, 2010 8:57 am ET

Wht is the big deal??? UN resolution 181 provided for the partition of Mandate Palestine into a Jewish State and an Arab State! The Jews accepted it and the Arabs rejected it. 62 years later the Arabs still reject it. Who cares??? Israel was created....here to stay. When the Arabs accept the obvious, they will also have their own state. Until then, they are only continuing their 62 years of ignorance and stupidity-–and getting nothing !!

University Rector   October 14th, 2010 2:14 pm ET

Just noticed this blog on a previous page. Its so good that it should be repeated.

shane C October 5th, 2010 3:43 pm ET

This is all so exciting. Since I'm part Native American Indian and need to find a nice piece of land in the USA that my ancestors lived on. It’s only been a short 150 years, not like Israel which was much older. I will go and burn, throw stones and scare the residence out.

In fact, everyone in the world should trace their heritage back and claim what was theirs.

And if they ask for a deed I will simple say that God promised me this land. Just ask him.

miriam   October 14th, 2010 2:22 pm ET

Abbas assures Tibi, an Israeli, Arab MK that there is no intention to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

The fact that Israeli parliament includes law-makers who can conspire with the adversary may come as a shock to those who frequently accuse Israel of being everything that it isn't.

Bill,
your blind bigotry causes you to misunderstand the fact that the majority of those who support Israel in the US are not of the Jewish faith and a proportion of the 2% who are Jewish are indifferent to Israel.

Having a problem with the fact that a large number of Americans do accept history and the fundamental right of the Jewish people to national self-determination, and reject revisionism, resist brain-washing and ignore hypocritical political rhetoric, may leave you perplexed but it is no reason to use scare-tactics and exagerate Jewish influence in an age-old attempt at demonization.

proud zionist   October 14th, 2010 4:40 pm ET

Bill

you ain't got no clue about facts. u r soooooo funny!

John A   October 15th, 2010 9:51 am ET

Miriam, no country on earth recognizes Israel as a Jewish state. In the same way no country on earth declares America is solely a Christian state.

Possibly the last time a country was universally recognized as being of one particular belief was in 1939, when the world recognized Germany as a Nazi state. Is that what Israel wants, total recognition as a prejudice and Fascist state?

proud zionist   October 17th, 2010 4:49 pm ET

johnny A baby

you are so full of it, as usual

Israel's Jewish population decreases, right liar?

miriam   October 18th, 2010 12:57 pm ET

John A,

There are many countries in the world that recognize one religion as its own official religion and there is little debate externally since they are not the only country defining themself as such.

It would be rediculous to claim that the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Syrian Arab Republic, or The Islamic Republic of Iran were not universally recognized as being Muslim on account of the fact that their very name requires such recognition.

Similarly, the recognition of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Saudi Arabia requires the recognition that they are under the rule of one designated family.

There are other countries in the world whose names are derived from specific people or languages which may or may not be relevent to today and there are counties that are recognized by names that bare no connection to reality such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Even if politically there are states that refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, their failure to recognize the state at all and their promoting its destruction unambiguously proves their acknowledgement that Israel is the (unwanted) state of the (unwanted) Jewish people.

John A   October 19th, 2010 11:45 am ET

Actually Miriam you are totally wrong again. Arabic countries are mostly Muslim. But they also host other religions and no country in the world states Egypt is a Muslim state. No country needs to put labels on another. Only Israel asks for this discriminatory label. You should be ashamed.

miriam   October 20th, 2010 1:14 pm ET

John A,

Try telling an Arabic leader that his state is not Muslim!!!!

Most of their justice systems are based on Sharia law and even if they play host to minority religions, their dhimmi status is necessary by law.

Many countries grant citizenship more easily to specific ethnic groups over others such as Bulgaria, Croatia, China and Germany are not accused of discrimination.

Jewish history has proved it necessary for there to be Jewish state. It is increasingly clear that attitudes towards Jews have not changed and their living as a minority population is and will be as dangerous as ever.

If people world over have chosen the Jews to be the object of their hate, then the Jews can free these people of their "problem" and if their haven happens to be the same land that is their religious, cultural and historical homeland, let it be, and let it define itself as lt wishes.

The Israeli Declaration of Independence clearly states that it respects the rights of any minority population, so they have no reason to be concerned unless it is they who are being discriminatory in delegitimizing the basic right of Jewish national self-determination.

John A   October 21st, 2010 9:17 am ET

Miriam, self defense is great. Occupying other peoples land, breaking international law and murdering aid workers in international waters is not so great. Miriam, get a life and please stop making yourself look like an uneducated person who is low on principles.

Israel has enough problems without being represented by fruitcakes like Miriam and Proud Zionist on this blog.

Filipe   October 23rd, 2010 5:12 pm ET

"murdering aid workers in international waters "............... Really !!!!!

Who???

Where???

Exactly what organization were they working for??? Hizbolla ??? Hamas ??

John A...... can you be specific please ????

miriam   October 23rd, 2010 5:44 pm ET

John A,

What occupation?

Which other people's land?

Which International Law?

Repeating the mantras of false rhetoric displays your indoctrination rather than any education.

It would be worth your while taking an educated look at the facts rather than parroting-off myths

John A   October 25th, 2010 6:35 am ET

Miriam says,

What occupation?

Which other people's land?

Which International Law?
----------------

Miriam, the ones everybody knows except you.
Pick up an international news paper and get a clue.
Any news paper from any country apart from Israel will do.
In Israel you write news with to much creativity and absolutely no fact.

miriam   October 25th, 2010 8:22 pm ET

John A,

You actually believe the media?


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