President Abbas
Photo: AFP
PA's Abbas slams Iran
Palestinians like a plane hijacked by Iranians, PA president tells Egyptian television
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas harshly slammed the Iranian regime Tuesday for interfering in Palestinian affairs.
In an interview with Egyptian television, Abbas said that Hamas was refusing to achieve intra-Palestinian reconciliation because of an Iranian veto.
"We, the Palestinian people, are like a hijacked airplane," he said. "The decision-making power is not in our hands, but rather, in the hands of the Iranians. For that reason, the Palestinian people's unity, just like the plane, is also hijacked."
Abbas also addressed the recently launched proximity talks, charging that Israel "isn't serious" in respect to the negotiations.
"While the Arabs do not want war with Israel, Israel does not want negotiations," he said.
'I'm not boycotting Israel'
Turning his attention to previous talks with former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Abbas said that the former Israeli PM agreed to renounce the presence of Israeli soldiers at the future Palestinian state's borders with Egypt and Jordan, agreeing to the deployment of international forces instead.
As to the Palestinian boycott on settlement products, Abbas declared that he too takes part in the campaign.
"I am not boycotting Israel or its products; I boycott settlement goods, as these products are being manufactured on our land," he said.
Abbas also reiterated his pledge not to run in the next Palestinian presidential elections, saying he wishes to devote the rest of his life to his grandchildren.
"However, I do not intend to leave behind a vacuum," he said. "Today we have strong government institutions, and especially security apparatuses, which are even better than Israel's apparatuses."
