The Palestinian position as frequently stated by President Mahmoud Abbas

The Palestinian position as frequently stated by President Mahmoud Abbas

Dec. 15, 2009

Addressing the Palestinian Central Council meeting in Ramallah on Tuesday, 15 December 2009, President Mahmoud Abbas began by praising the role of the new Palestinian generation, having attended the Palestinian Youth Parliamentarian Conference the day before in Ramallah’s Cultural Palace.

President Abbas then went on to speak about the Swedish draft report submitted to the EU foreign ministers, saying that the EU countries had managed to stand fast and not allow drastic changes to this draft, which, in its final form, essentially read that Europe wants East Jerusalem to be the capital of the Palestinian state. Abbas added that the final resolution of the EU foreign ministers carried with it many positive steps and he considered the EU resolution an important step forward.

President Abbas informed the Central Council that the next Quartet meeting will be held in Moscow. During this meeting, the Quartet should confirm that the 1967 borders are the reference for negotiations. The Quartet should also emphasize that East Jerusalem is occupied territory and that the occupation must end. These points are integral parts of the Road Map agreement, Abbas added.

President Abbas said that the Palestinians’ next step is to go to the international community to make sure that those references are enforced and to tell the UN Security Council to delineate the Palestinian borders to cover all the land occupied in 1967. President Abbas added that this step will be done in conjunction with the Arab League and put to the UN in due course. Prior to that, however, the Arab League will present the Palestinian and Arab League’s mutual position to the United Stated, China, Russia and the United Nations. President Abbas emphasized that Palestinians want international legitimacy to confirm the Palestinian said position.

On settlement activity, President Abbas said that once there is a complete freeze of Israeli settlement construction, and once Israel recognizes the 1967 borders as a reference for negotiations, Palestinians will no longer have a reason not to go into negotiations with Israel and will continue negotiations where they left off with the government of Ehud Olmert. President Abbas continued, saying that the circumstances surrounding Prime Minister Olmert had caused the negotiations to stop. President Abbas stressed that the Palestinians will not start negotiations from point zero. He added that, as stated in UN Security Council Resolution 1860, the Annapolis peace conference must be followed by an international peace conference to be held in Moscow.

President Abbas told his audience that he had not conducted futile negotiations with Israel. He clarified that there had been a few months of negotiations between 1994 and 1995, but no negotiations whatsoever during the reign of Netanyahu between 1996 and 1999. There had been 16 days of negotiations at Camp David, but with no Israeli peace offers. President Abbas said that Palestinians had only received suggestions from a third party, i.e. the United States. President Abbas added that from the year 2000 till Annapolis, there had also been no negotiations. After the Annapolis conference, however, held in late 2007, Palestinians had eight or nine months of negotiations with the government of Ehud Olmert.

Addressing those who accused him of making concessions to Israel, President Abbas said the only concession the Palestinians had made was in 1988 when they recognized Resolutions 242 and 338 and announced the independence of the Palestinian state, to be established on the 1967 borders with Arab East Jerusalem as its capital. Since then, Palestinians have stood their ground concerning the 1967 borders, complied with UN Resolutions 242 and 338, implemented the Road Map requirements, insisted that Israeli settlements have no legal basis, maintained that a just, agreed-upon resolution in accordance with UN Resolution 194 must be found for Palestinian refugees, and supported the Arab Peace Initiative.

President Abbas also mentioned the sharing of water resources in accordance with international law and the insistence on the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails before a peace agreement can be signed. Therefore, he pointed out, those who accuse him of making concessions have no basis for their argument.

Regarding Israeli accusations that the Palestinians had put forward preconditions for resuming negotiations, President Abbas said that this accusation was without basis. Instead, he added, everything the Palestinians have asked for is part and parcel of the Road Map agreement. President Abbas stressed that the Palestinians have implemented everything that was asked of them in the Road Map. Israel, on the other hand, has not carried out any of its any of its obligations, apart from removing a few roadblocks here and there.

Responding to accusations that he denied the Holocaust, President Abbas said the Palestinians do not deny the Holocaust - it happened. He clarified that he had called on Jews not to practice on Palestinians what had been practiced on them during the Holocaust.

President Abbas refused to define Israel as a Jewish state, saying that there are 1.4 million Palestinian living in Israel. President Abbas pointed out the fact that US President Harry Truman himself, in a letter signed by him on May 14, 1948 recognizing the provisional government of the new Jewish state, had crossed out the phrase “Jewish state”, replacing it with the “State of Israel".

Commenting on Israel’s labeling of him as a rejectionist, President Abbas said that he had not received any offers from Israel apart from those understandings reached with Ehud Olmert, which came to an abrupt end after Olmert was forced out of office in late 2008. President Abbas said that he is a man of peace; he always was and always will be, adding that he wants peace based on justice. He stressed that there will be no return to violence.

On national reconciliation and Palestinian unity, President Abbas said he holds Hamas responsible for not achieving unity, saying they do not believe in democracy or in the national state for the Palestinians. Regarding the negotiations he conducted with Israel, President Abbas said that this does not have anything to do with Hamas and that any future peace agreement reached with Israel will be put to the Palestinian people in a referendum.

President Abbas said that he had made an important visit to South America, meeting with Palestinian and Jewish communities there. He added that he and the Palestinian people had received a warm welcome from the people and leaders of South America, who had expressed support for the Palestinian cause.

President Abbas encouraged any efforts to reach a peaceful solution between Syria and Israel.

President Abbas praised his government headed by Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad, saying that they are exerting huge efforts to provide a decent living for the Palestinian people. He added that the government is doing an excellent job in the areas of security and the economy.

He stressed that the Palestinians are a democratic people who want free and fair elections, including presidential, legislative, municipal, and other elections, as required in a proper and normal civil society.