Israel Matzav: Abu Mazen puts the final nail in the 'peace' coffin

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Abu Mazen puts the final nail in the 'peace' coffin

Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.

'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President ~~Mahmoud Abbas~~ Abu Mazen gave a speech on Saturday that Israeli officials are calling the death of the 'peace talks.'

"Abu Mazen is repeating demands for the same conditions that he already knows Israel cannot accept," the unnamed officials were quoted as saying in response to Abbas's renewed demand for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a total settlement freeze.

Abbas was speaking to a meeting of top leaders in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) gathered for a two-day conference to asses the Palestinian strategy to achieve statehood after US-backed talks began to unravel this month.

...

Abbas, for the first time since the suspension, said he was still open to re-starting the talks and pushing on beyond the deadline so long that Israel freed Palestinian prisoners and froze settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. There was no immediate response from Israeli negotiators.

"How can we restart the talks? There's no obstacle to us restarting the talks, but the 30 prisoners need to be released," Abbas said referring to a fourth batch of long-serving Palestinian prisoners Israel in early April said it would not free.

"On the table we will present our map, for three months we'll discuss our map. In that period, until the map is agreed upon, all settlement activity must cease completely," he told the officials, who were gathered for a two-day conference to asses the Palestinian strategy to achieve statehood.

Abbas also reiterated his position that the Palestinians would never recognize the Jewish identity of Israel, AFP reported.

The PA leader said the Palestinians had recognized Israel in 1993 and should not have to acquiesce to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's demand for a public declaration of Israel as a Jewish state in order to make peace.

Abbas stressed that unity among the Hamas rule in Gaza and the Ramallah-based PLO was necessary to establish an independent Palestinian state," Al Jazeera reported.

Despite expressing his hope to progress peace talks, Abbas charged that Israel was not interested in reaching an agreement for a two-state solution.

Of course, his new partners in Hamas say that they will never recognize Israel as anything....

Arutz Sheva adds:

The PA chairman declared that the new unity government would not continue peace talks - rather he stated that it was the responsibility of the PLO to negotiate.

"I recognize Israel and reject violence and terrorism, and recognize international commitments," Abbas claimed, even while re-declaring that he and his government would never recognize Israel as the Jewish state.

Abbas's outright refusal to recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people has brought the talks, which are days before their April 29 deadline, to a constant halt, even before he breached conditions by applying to 15 international conventions at the start of the month.

Abbas continued by declaring that his unity government would not agree to receive a state in the heart of Israel, unless eastern Jerusalem was its capital.

In conclusion, Abbas reiterated his threats, made twice last week, to disband the PA and turn over responsibility to govern Judea and Samaria over to Israel.