he said it AGAIN: Abbas Refuses Jewish Israel

Malkah Fleisher Abbas Refuses Jewish Israel

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas openly refused Monday to recognize Israel as a Jewish State. The statement came as a direct slap against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's insistence that such an acknowledgement is a necessary condition for "progress" in final-status talks. An uproar ensued in the PA two weeks ago following an initial statement by Netanyahu aides in which it appeared the prime minister had issued an ultimatum, with PA officials calling Netanyahu's insistence on this basic understanding a "provocation" and promising a "poisonous effect" on the Israel-PA relationship. Netanyahu later clarified that recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people was a necessary component for progress in negotiations with the PA, although it would not prevent the initiation of the talks.

This is the first time since Netanyahu's statement on the matter that Abbas has publicly rejected the notion of Israel as a Jewish State.

"A Jewish state, what is that supposed to mean?" Abbas asked at a speech Monday in Ramallah. "You can call yourselves what you want, but I don't accept it and I say so publicly."

The Ramallah-based Abbas government has been propped up by the United States and Israel since the PA's first democratic election in 2006, in which the Hamas terrorist organization won almost twice the number of parliamentary seats as Fatah. Both Israel and the United States rejected the election results, and instituted Fatah leader Abbas as PA "President," calling him a "moderate" alternative to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and political bureau chief, Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Damascus.

Israel has also thwarted several assassination attempts on Abbas by providing intelligence to Ramallah-based PA officials before the attempts could take place.

Abbas will meet for talks in Washington, D.C. with U.S. President Barack Obama on May 28, 10 days after Netanyahu meets with the American president, according to the Jordan Times.

Comments by Aggie:It is infuriating that Abbas, who has been supported by millions and billions of dollars from the US, Israel, and the EU, should refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Surely his solution for a Two State Solution is not two Arab or Muslim states? And the US and world community remain silent in the face of this absolute racist approach, while demanding that Israel cede control of Judea and Samaria and divide Jerusalem. And of course, the money will continue to flow to Abbas and even Hamas in Gaza.

The position of King Abudullah of Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel, is not substantially different. On Sunday, he repeatedly stated on Meet the Press that the entire problem in the Middle East is the failure to solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. The Good King was clearly ignoring the Hamas, Hizballah and PA charters and manifestos which call for the destruction of Israel. As far as he is concerned, there will be another war and it is up to Israel to prevent it, by agreeing to divide Jerusalem. Yet, it was his father who illegally occupied Jerusalem from 1948 to 1967, destroying all Jewish synagogues and cemeteries and forbidding any Jew to enter Jerusalem. That was never a problem.

What a swell neighborhood Israel lives in. Even its peaceful neighbors wish it ill.
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Best,
Aggie