Netanyahu laid out what he said are Israel’s needs: that any future Palestinian state be demilitarized, and that the PA recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Israelis have been willing to make “painful concessions” for peace, but Palestinian Authority leaders have not, he accused. PA leaders “must finally recognize the Jewish state, and Israel’s security needs must be met,” he reiterated. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. He argues that recognizing Israel as Jewish would mean giving up the Arab demand that Israel allow millions of descendants of Arabs who fled during the War of Independence to “return” – a demand that, if met, could make Israel a majority-Arab state. At the same time, Abbas insists that no Israeli citizens currently living in Judea and Samaria would be allowed to remain in their homes as citizens of a PA state. “In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli – civilian or soldier – on our lands,” he told reporters during a recent visit to Cairo.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 02:51:21 +0000
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