Moderate" Abbas insists on 100% withdrawal in Washington Post interview
Abbas: No 'Land Exchanges' in Final AgreementIsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas in an interview Saturday rejected any talk of “land exchanges” for settlement blocs in a final status agreement between Israel and the PA. “Before 1947, we had 95 percent of Palestine,” Abbas told the Washington Post. “In 1937, the partition plan gave the Israelis only part of Palestine. And they were very happy at that time... Now, we accept [the pre-'67 borders]." This condition includes Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem built on land liberated in the 1967 Six Day War. “I say and have always said that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory. We have to restore it,” he said.
In addition, Abbas wants a part of “little Israel” as a “safe passage” between Gaza and Judea. Since, as he said, Israel has far more of Palestine than the UN originally allocated to it, and the PA is being very reasonable by accepting only the pre-1967 borders, Israel should have no problem ceding land in “Israel proper” for this purpose.Abbas Says 92% of West Bank & The Gaza Strip Is Not Enough & UnacceptableAbbas: Deal must include withdrawal to '67 bordersPA Hardens Demands Ahead of Peace SummitAbbas Calls for Final Status of State on US Summit Agenda