Back Panel Quote
Settlement Report | Vol. 18 No. 2 | February-March 2008- Olmert and Settlements: Lofty Goals Betrayed by Actions on the Ground
- Lying to Oneself
- To Our Readers
- Rice Testifies at FOROPS Subcommittee
- Containing Palestinian Neighborhoods in and Around Jerusalem's Old City - 2008
- Settlement Time Line
- Short Takes
- Back Panel Quote
- Map: Containing Palestinian Neighborhoods in and Around Jerusalem's Old City - 2008
- Statistics: Settlement Construction
As far as we are concerned, we shall not stop the negotiations because we want to reach a solution. If we reach a solution, it will certainly be in the interest of our people. What is the solution? The solution is to stop the settlements and attacks, to retrieve the West Bank and Jerusalem, to find a fair solution to the problem of the refugees. This is the solution. Therefore, it is in our interest to reach a solution. We will not go all the way to the table of negotiations and stop. We know that they [Israel] are the ones who will stop negotiations, not us.
Even if they continue their violations, we are forced to continue the dialogue. If we do not continue with the dialogue, they are the winners, not us.
In my opinion—I don’t know what would satisfy them—but what satisfies me is the solution that is in line with international legitimacy. I cannot accept less than this and do not demand more than this. I am not demanding more than what international legitimacy offers, but I cannot accept anything less than that.
This is what I want. If Israel wants a solution through which it can live in the Arab and Islamic world, then it has to accept this. Imagine what it would mean if Israel accepts to withdraw from the Arab and Palestinian territories. According to the Arab initiative, the Arab and Islamic countries will normalize their relations with Israel. This means that Israel will live in a sea of peace from Mauritania all the way to Indonesia.
Peace is not an opportunity for the Palestinian people alone. It is an opportunity for Israel also. I hope that they understand this and [do] not miss this opportunity, which perhaps is more in their interest than in ours. But let me just say that we both have a single equal interest; we have an interest and they have an interest in establishing this peace.
Interview with PLO Chairman and PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Ramallah Palestinian Satellite TV, February 12, 2008
Even if they continue their violations, we are forced to continue the dialogue. If we do not continue with the dialogue, they are the winners, not us.
In my opinion—I don’t know what would satisfy them—but what satisfies me is the solution that is in line with international legitimacy. I cannot accept less than this and do not demand more than this. I am not demanding more than what international legitimacy offers, but I cannot accept anything less than that.
This is what I want. If Israel wants a solution through which it can live in the Arab and Islamic world, then it has to accept this. Imagine what it would mean if Israel accepts to withdraw from the Arab and Palestinian territories. According to the Arab initiative, the Arab and Islamic countries will normalize their relations with Israel. This means that Israel will live in a sea of peace from Mauritania all the way to Indonesia.
Peace is not an opportunity for the Palestinian people alone. It is an opportunity for Israel also. I hope that they understand this and [do] not miss this opportunity, which perhaps is more in their interest than in ours. But let me just say that we both have a single equal interest; we have an interest and they have an interest in establishing this peace.
Interview with PLO Chairman and PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Ramallah Palestinian Satellite TV, February 12, 2008
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