Abbas Rejects Jewish State
CBNNews.com
December 2, 2007
CBNNews.com - RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas repeated his rejection of Israel as a Jewish state on Saturday.
The PA chairman envisions one state designated only for Palestinians, and the other, Israel, where Palestinians and Israelis can live together.
"From a historical perspective, there are two states: Israel and Palestine," he said. "In Israel, there are Jews and others living there. This we are willing to recognize, nothing else," the PA chairman told reporters before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, Abbas met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
PA Prime Minister Salem Fayyad shared the same sentiments in an interview with al-Arabiya television.
"Israel can call itself whatever it wants, but the Palestinians will not recognize it as a Jewish state," Fayyad said.
PA Ready to Reconcile with Hamas
Abbas also told reporters he's ready to talk with Hamas.
"We have had talks with Hamas for the past four or five years," he said.
"We don't mind having talks because they are part of the Palestinian people and we will not give up this part of the people and we will not ignore them," said the PA chairman.
"We consider it an important movement," Abbas told the press. "When it ends its coup, we will be ready to talk to it," he said.
Senior PA official Ahmed Qureia, who traveled with Abbas to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, said it's a given that the Gaza Strip would be included in negotiations with Israel as it is part of the Palestinian Authority, though under the rule of Hamas.
Sources: The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz
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