RAMALLAH, January 22, 2011 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas warned of serious repercussions on the entire region if peace efforts fail, but ruled out the possibility of unilateral declaration of statehood.
He said in an interview on the Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite station on Friday that if Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations fail, a popular intifada or Palestinian revolt could break out.
However, he said he does not expect an armed confrontation with Israel reminiscent of the September 2000 intifada that broke out following the failure of the Camp David talks.
He said the Palestinians will go to the UN Security Council and that they have other choices if negotiations fail.
He described this year as very critical in the history of Palestinian drive for statehood, adding that if the US recognizes the 1967 borders, he will go back to negotiations with Israel. However, he said, the US did not put things into perspective.
He said declaration of an independent state, which the PA said it will achieve this year, will require US involvement.
President Abbas said it was understood during the presidency of George W. Bush that Israel would recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.
“The understandings between Israel and the Palestinians during former US President George Bush’s administration has reached a point in which the Israeli side would recognize East Jerusalem as capital of the Palestinian state, which will be formed on the 1967 borders,” he said. “Israel, however, evaded attempts by the US president to implement this agreement,” he added.
He revealed that a suggestion was made to the Palestinian Authority to open “a secret channel” with the Israeli minister of defense. This offer was rejected, he said, because such a channel was not necessary in light of Israel’s refusal to recognize the 1967 borders.
Abbas said he does not understand why Hamas would refuse to sign the Egyptian reconciliation agreement since Hamas was informed of the Egyptian efforts even before the Palestinian Authority. He said the reconciliation talks in Damascus reached understandings, but Hamas aborted them under the pretext of arrests of Hamas leaders in the West Bank.
He said the PA does not arrest anyone, except those attempting to obtain explosives or weapons or involved in money laundering. This, he said, aims at keeping the truce with Israeli in the West Bank.
“Hamas abides by the calm in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “Why does it not abide by it in the West Bank?” he wondered. He accused “non-Arab” parties of attempting to sabotage reconciliation, ruling out the possibility of holding elections before there is reconciliation.
On the investigation with Fatah Central Committee member Muhammad Dahlan, Abbas said that if Dahlan was found guilty, he will be incarcerated. But if he was found innocent, Fatah will apologize to him. He denied reports that he was under internal or external pressure to stop the investigation.
M.A.
