Demands end to Qassam fire. Abbas
Photo: AFP
Peres (L) with King Abdallah in Jordan
PhotoL Moshe Milner Inc.
Abbas: We'll demand '67 borders
Palestinian president says at Petra Conference in Jordan that ‘Israel must realize that we will not be able to accept a unilateral solution determined solely by its government’; adds that Hamas may eventually recognize Israel
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said during the Petra Conference in Jordan Wednesday that “Israel must realize that we will not be able to accept a unilateral solution determined solely by its government, which is building fences around the Palestinian population.
“We will demand the 1967 borders – no more and no less,” he said.
Regional Cooperation
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“Europe, the US, Russia and the Quartet agree to the Road Map’s principles; Israel and the Palestinian Authority also accept these principles; we must sit at the negotiating table and discuss issues concerning the Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinian nation has suffered for a long time, we have been through a long war, and we have a strong desire for peace and justice.”
Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who is also visiting Jordan, responded by saying “Israel would have sat at the negotiating table a long time ago and the Palestinians would have a state were it not for the Palestinian terror and the Qassam rocket fire.
“The way of terror and shedding blood does not promote peace,” he said.
'Stop rocket fire immediately'
Abbas alluded to the possibility that Hamas may recognize the State of Israel in the future, saying “Israel wants Hamas to accept a two-state solution, in accordance with the Road Map. Hamas is currently refusing, but it may accept such a solution in the future.”
The Palestinian president also called on armed groups in Gaza to halt the incessant Qassam fire on Israel, saying it increases the risk of an IDF ground operation in the Strip.
“All the organizations must stop the rocket fire immediately and respect the ceasefire (signed between the groups last year),” he said.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to attend the Petra Conference on Thursday as King Abdullah’s guest. The two are expected to discuss regional affairs, including the possibility of resuming Israel-PA talks.
Olmert is expected to shake hands with Abbas, but an official meeting between the two leaders is not expected until the end of June or the beginning of July.
