Palestinian Authority president and Fatah chairman Mahmoud Abbas 

stated Monday that he does not accept Israel's demand for recognition 

as the nation of the Jewish people.

"I say this clearly: I do not accept the Jewish State, call it what 

you will," he said at a preliminary conference of the Palestinian 

Youth Parliament in Ramallah.

At the end of the conference, Abbas was presented with a large framed 

map of "Palestine," covering the entire area of Israel, from the 

Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. He held the map aloft in a 

photo that later appeared on the front page of both daily 

publications of the Palestinian Authority.

The Foreign Ministry said Monday that Palestinian recognition of 

Israel as a Jewish state was "crucial" for reconciliation between the 

two sides after Abbas dismissed Israeli calls to do so. "Recognition 

of Israel as the sovereign state of the Jewish people is an essential 

and necessary step in the historic reconciliation process between 

Israel and the Palestinians," the ministry said in a statement. "The 

sooner the Palestinians internalize this basic and essential fact, 

peace between the two peoples will progress and come to fruition."

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