Abbas: Concept of 2-states beginning to erode
Palestinian president tells Washington think tank, 'I would like to express concern that the situation is very difficult'; calls on Israel to to 'take measures' that demonstrate 'its intention for peace'
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday he feared the concept of a two-state solution to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians "is beginning to erode."
"I would like to express concern that the situation is very difficult," he said in remarks at a Washington think tank.
"The concept of a Palestinian state ... with an Israeli state, I fear, is beginning to erode," he said.
He also called on Israel to "take measures" that demonstrate "its intention for peace."
"There are behaviors that the Israelis should desist from in order to present themselves in a positive way," he said. "The Arab people are not against peace and neither are the Islamic people."
Abbas made his remarks in the aftermath of the deadly May 31 Israeli commando raid on a flotilla of boats seeking to beat the Gaza blockade, which has plunged already poor bilateral relations with Israel to a dismal new low.
On Wednesday Palestinian officials told Ynet they were satisfied with US President Barack Obama's statements following his meeting with Abbas.
The sources noted that Obama again expressed his support for the need to establish a Palestinian state.
The officials said that Abbas told Obama that for the time being, proximity talks with Israel are not moving along as hoped. The Palestinians complained that the Israeli side is not serious about the negotiations and aims to stay away from the significant issues.
The Palestinians are infuriated, claiming that while they have been discussing issues such as security and borders during the proximity talks, Israel is mostly dealing with issues such as water and environmental affairs, Ynet learned.
