Fury as leader concedes pillar of Palestinian cause
JERUSALEM: President Mahmoud Abbas is facing down a furious response from Palestinians at home and abroad over his decision to give up his right to return to his home town of Safed, from where his family were forced to flee in 1948.
His comments tore at the fabric of one of the most sensitive issues for Palestinians — the right of at least 5 million refugees and internally displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in what is now Israel.
"I am a refugee, but I am living in Ramallah. I believe that the West Bank and Gaza is Palestine. And the other parts is Israel," Mr Abbas said in the interview on Israel's Channel 2 on Friday. "I want to see Safed. It is my right to see it, but not to live there.
"All what we want is to establish an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital."
Responding to the widespread condemnation of his comments, Mr Abbas was forced to deny he conceded the right of return for Palestinians, saying he was expressing a personal opinion that did not represent a change in policy.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/fury-as-leader-concedes-pillar-of-palestinian-cause-20121105-28sxo.html#ixzz2BKI5xNMc
= new reply since forum marked as read
I expected a little disappointment from you WRT Abbas.
Something.
Anything... rather than blindly asserting once again in the face of contrary evidence:
Here's the google translation of WAFA Arabic:
http://www.wafa.ps/arabic/index.php?action=detail&id=141328
Ramallah 11/03/2012 (WAFA) - President Mahmoud Abbas said, he did not and will not give up the right of return, and that the attack according to fragmentary remarks in an interview with Israeli Channel Two, on Friday, came prior to airing the full interview.
He stressed in an interview with the Egyptian satellite life, from the Jordanian capital of Amman, on Saturday evening, 'that all the reactions and comments came before the interview to be broadcast .. The attack began on without a full follow-up interview, and this method biased by some media and a private island, and by some factions that fish in troubled waters .. I do not Alon speak, and newborn for the Palestinians does not differ with him for an Israeli or American or any '.
The sovereignty, 'since 1988, a decision was made in the Palestinian National Council to recognize United Nations resolutions 242 and 338, and repeat this again, until the Arab initiative and came before and after .. All Palestinians agreed on two-state solution, and the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, and this was approved by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in the last agreement for reconciliation in Cairo, it was agreed that the 1967 borders, and the peaceful resistance and popular, and the trend towards elections, the presence of 36 members of the executive committee and secretary in Cairo, in January (last January), and announced these points .. No problem in agreeing on the 1967 borders, and East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, which was approved by all Arab and Islamic countries.
The President explained: talk about Safed personal position, does not mean waiver of the right of return, and no one can waive the right of return, all international texts and resolutions of Arab and Islamic states just and agreed solution on the issue of refugees in accordance with UN Resolution 194, and the words 'Agreed' means the agreement with the Israeli side.
The sovereignty, six cases the core, including the issue of refugees placed on the table for discussion at the final stage, on the basis of international legitimacy, and the refugee issue on the basis of Resolution 194, and subjected to a popular referendum, either accept people or rejected, as that Resolution 194 provides for the right of return or compensation for those who do not wish to return any that a return is the foundation, and the Arab Peace Initiative, erected on a just and agreed solution to the refugee issue in accordance with the resolution, stressing that the issue of refugees is sacred.
The sovereignty, since the second intifada began was my opinion it wrong and should not continue where they armed, and was my position then blasphemy against the current, and when nominated myself in the elections I am against the armed intifada, however peaceful resistance and negotiations, and I'm convinced to this day that 'no uprising armed ', and all the factions agreed to popular resistance, and even in Gaza fires a rocket Alan shooting him.
The president said: the use of arms violent act, and I do not want to use violence, because I am not convinced, a losing battle with Israel, but that the Popular Resistance make a good impact in terms of world's solidarity with us .. What I have repeated many times and I still, and I said: that no armed uprising in the covenant.
He stressed that the people through their representatives decided consensus on the peaceful popular resistance, including representatives of the forces in Damascus, as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, all of whom stressed the peaceful popular resistance, even if people decided otherwise either accept or not accept.
And booed President Hamas attack on him and said are offered state with provisional borders, and debated and dialogue with Israel and other destinations around the state with temporary borders, a project by Sharon, and still talk about rolling at the competent Israeli, and is based on getting 45 to 50% of West Bank land, with a truce between 10 to 15 years, and this is very dangerous and can not accept.
The President stressed on the direction of the Palestinian leadership to the state is a member of the United Nations, despite the threats, U.S. pressures large, during the month and specifically after the sixth him, stressing his conviction successfully this step, based on the confessions of the majority of the world a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders , and this is what bothers Israel and his to her, especially that a step such criminalization settlement internationally, and officially, and international recognition, and the transfer of the case from the 'disputed territories', as promoted by Israel, to' Palestinian state occupied from another country is Israel.
The sovereignty, President Bush was serious about finding solutions to the Palestinian issue, and sovereignty, said the Americans will not go to the United Nations during the American elections, we do not want Americans to feel that we interfere in their elections.
The President: We want a solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of two states, according to the 1967 borders, stressing that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, and that Ismail Haniyeh does not have any political entity.
He referred to the Palestinian-Egyptian relations are excellent, and that with the opening of the Egyptian border with Gaza to transport necessities and must be closed tunnels.
The sovereignty 'Netanyahu accuses me of waging a terror campaign legal diplomacy on Israel not ruled assassinate me like what happened with the late martyr Abu Ammar', asserting sovereignty we're going to have our rights no matter how long it takes.
I'm curious as to what you do with this information.
Ignore it because of Elder of Ziyon?
Maybe WAFA is lying?
Denial?
Keep deflecting?
...in camps under apartheid conditions throughout the mideast. That's what being "pro-Palestinian" is about, after all. Using millions of Palestinians as political pawns...
They need to get on with their lives outside of Israel. If a peace deal happens, they can get compensation. I know that's not good enough for you or any regressive Mideast regime, but that's the best they're going to get.
