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Abbas backs Palestinian refugees
 Interim Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas has told parliament that he will follow in Yasir Arafat's footsteps and demand that Israel recognise the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Abbas spoke a day after a small group of leaders of the ruling Fatah movement chose him as its candidate for 9 January elections for Palestinian Authority president, despite demands by Fatah's young guard that a primary be held. The speech marked the first time since Arafat's death on 11 November that Abbas outlined his views on the conflict with Israel. Abbas appeared to be sending a message to Fatah's new guard that he would stand tough in future talks with Israel, despite his pragmatism and opposition to violence. Abbas' ideas about a peace deal with Israel have always been close to those of Arafat: a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as a capital, and Israeli recognition of the right of return of roughly four million refugees and their descendants.
| I still haven't quite gotten it: if you've got your own state, why do you need somebody else's? |
| 'cause their own state won't be as big as they want. |
The refugee issue has contributed to the failure of previous peace talks. Israel has said it is willing to repatriate a few thousand refugees as a good-will gesture, but that absorbing millions would destroy the Jewish character of the state. At a memorial ceremony for Arafat at the Palestinian parliament, Abbas said he would walk in the footsteps of the late Palestinian leader. "We promise you [Arafat] that our hearts will not rest until we achieve the right of return for our people and end the tragic refugee issue," he said.
Posted by: Fred 2004-11-24 |
