Short distance away from Jerusalem. Abbas
Photo: Reuters
Abbas: We're close to gates of J'lem
In address for Palestinian 'Independence Day', PA chairman blasts Israeli one-sidedness, plan for 'temporary canton state'; says, 'Oslo has brought the Palestinian people back to their land'
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that "Oslo has brought the Palestinian people back to their land, which is a very short distance away from the gates of Jerusalem."
Abbas spoke in Ramallah in an address for the Palestinian "Independence Day" – the date in which former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat declared the establishment of an independent state, during the first intifada.
On a day when Jerusalem and Washington welcomed the crossings deal, Abbas blasted once again Israel's unilateral policy and its aspiration to reach temporary agreements, "which end in a temporary state, constituting cantons with no territorial sequence and controlled by Israel."
Under the pretension of dismantling terror infrastructures, Abbas charged, Israel is interested in pushing the Palestinians into a civil war, on which it conditions the negotiations.
Israel is also trying to dictate conditions to the Palestinians to form democracy, Abbas added, hinting to Israel's stand regarding Hamas' participation in the elections.
'Under our own conditions'
In general, Abbas said, Israel is trying to liquefy the Road Map, imposing a series of reservations ahead of its implementation. He added that Israel was avoiding any serious negotiations on the core issues of the permanent agreement – Jerusalem, the settlements and the refugees.
Abbas took advantage of his political speech in order to call on the Palestinians once again to abandon the road of terror.
"We must believe in the righteousness of the Palestinian issues and in our ability to convince the countries of the world. We must not rely on false slogans," he said.
"We are convinced that the issue of the state and its establishment is not an impossible issue, and the Palestinian people, who have already done the impossible when starting the revolution 40 years ago, can do it again," he added.
"Even if the dawn of the independent country is being delayed, our struggle to establish it under our own conditions and not under occupation conditions persists," he said.
Abbas did not forget to bless the martyrs and "our brothers in the Palestinian Diaspora", and to express his wishes that the Palestinian prisoners will soon be released from Israeli prisons.
