Abbas: Netanyahu destroying 2-state solution

In interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Palestinian leader says stalemate in peace talks may lead to 'unpleasant situations'

Smadar Peri|Published: 10.18.12 , 09:56

"I don't know what's gong on (in Israel). On the one hand I read about public opinion polls showing that 70% of Israelis want peace with us, but on the other hand there is no process and we identify a lack of interest on your part," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

"The Palestinian issue is not on the agenda of the (Israeli political) parties," the Palestinian leader said during the exclusive interview, which will be published in its entirety on Friday. "The Likud is dealing with the Iranian threat, Labor with the price of cottage cheese, and the elections serve as just another excuse to delay (the resumption of peace talks).

"One man, (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, has managed to convince you all that we are not a partner, and another man, (Foreign Minister Avigdor) Lieberman, wants to terminate me," Abbas told Yedioth.

The Palestinian president offered an explanation for the stalemate in the peace talks. "During my last meeting with Netanyahu I told him: 'Let's continue the negotiations from where we stopped.' I stressed that that it would be a shame to waste any more time. But Netanyahu informed me: 'We are going back to square one and starting from scratch.' And when he insisted on limiting the discussion to security issues and your soldiers in the Jordan Valley, I announced that we are halting the negotiations. I see now how Netanyahu is destroying the two-state solution.

"But I want to make it clear that the current situation cannot continue, and we will not agree to a one state for two people's solution," Abbas said.

According to the Palestinian president, the stalemate in the negotiations is dangerous. "Things will get bad. It's not that I'm not threatening to launch a third intifada, and a return to terror is out of the question, but the despair and despondency can lead to unpleasant situations. The 'Arab Spring' has not reached us, because we are not a dictatorship. But (the Palestinian Authority), as well as Israel, are surrounded by Islamic regimes and raging masses. It is getting closer and is surrounding us. It has already reached Jordan.

"What will you do if the 'Spring' reaches us due to the dire economic situation and frustration? You must understand that what will be dangerous for us will also be dangerous for you," Abbas warned.

Abbas is currently working on a bid to upgrade the Authority's UN status to a non-member state.

"With this new status no one will be able to ignore our demand to establish a state within the 1967 borders," Abbas argued. "To this day we are viewed as 'disputed territories,' and according to the international code this is less binding."