called for overthrowing the democratically elected Palestinian president
While the Koran and later Muslim tradition make no bones about the presence of Jewish and Christian communities across the peninsula in Mohammed’s day, the general picture that is painted of pre-Islamic Arabia is one of chaos and anarchy. The region is described as being dominated by jahilliyah – ignorance – lawlessness, illiteracy and barbaric pagan cults...Reexamination of works by Muslim and Christian chroniclers in recent years, as well as finds like the one in Saudi Arabia, are producing a much more elaborate picture, leading scholars to rediscover the rich and complex history of the region before the rise of Islam.
One of the key, but often forgotten, players in Arabia at the time was the kingdom of Himyar.
Established around the 2nd century CE, by the 4th century it had become a regional power. Headquartered in what is today Yemen, Himyar had conquered neighboring states, including the ancient kingdom of Sheba (whose legendary queen features in a biblical meeting with Solomon).
In a recent article titled “What kind of Judaism in Arabia?” Christian Robin, a French epigraphist and historian who also leads the expedition at Bir Hima, says most scholars now agree that, around 380 CE, the elites of the kingdom of Himyar converted to some form of Judaism.
Until 300 AD, southern Arabia had many kingdoms and principalities of very variable size...The creation of ever larger political entities remains a trend, which is observed from the beginning of the South Arabian civilization in the eighth century BC Saba'impose its supremacy for two centuries (seventh to sixth century) then it was the turn of Qataban, but neither one nor the other of these realms conquers all of southern Arabia. The first to succeed, in the late third century AD, is Himyar. Now all southern Arabia has the same sovereign, uses the same language - at least in the inscriptions - and shares some institutions, such as the calendar. In order to deepen its hold, the Himyarite dynasty religiously endeavors to unify the country. Monotheism is in the air. The choice of Christianity have the disadvantage of involving a liability to Byzantium. Himyar The kings therefore make the choice of Judaism, convert but do not make the official religion.
[as] reported in The Martyrdom of Saint Arethas and his companions in the city of Najran (Asian Journal - 1873). The Martyrdom tells of a Jewish king took power in Yemen. Because of winter - a time of strong winds in the Red Sea - the Ethiopians were not able to react. The Jewish king then laid siege to Najran, large oasis where Christians dominate. The town surrendered after having the assurance that the people would be spared. The king did not keep his word and force Christians to convert to Judaism; those who refuse are executed. Several hundred faithful perish during this persecution, dated fall 523.
Of course, the Christian world can not stand idly by. Religious leaders of the Byzantine Empire and the Emperor himself ask the Christian king of Ethiopia, Kaleb, organize the response. Kaleb gathers seventy ships and, after Pentecost 525, through the Red Sea. Ethiopian fleet arrives at the entrance to the harbor of Shaykh Sa'id, barred by a chain, while a storm arises. While part of the fleet breaks the chain, the rest with the king, is rejected and further north arrives - he seems - to al-Makha '(Moca), site of the decisive battle. Kaleb outweighs the Jewish king is defeated and executed; then he seized all of Yemen, imposed Christianity, founded churches everywhere, creates an ecclesiastical hierarchy and retires in Ethiopia where he became a monk...
... he growing outside pressures ultimately took their toll on Himyar. Sometime around the year 500, it fell to Christian invaders from the Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum.
In a last bid for independence, in 522, a Jewish Himyarite leader, Yusuf As'ar Yath'ar, rebelled against the puppet ruler enthroned by the negus and put the Aksumite garrison to the sword. He then besieged Najran, which had refused to provide him with troops, and massacred part of its Christian population – a martyrdom that sparked outrage amongst Yusuf’s enemies and hastened retribution from Ethiopia.
In 2014, the French-Saudi expedition at Bir Hima discovered an inscription recording Yusuf’s passage there after the Najran massacre as he marched north with 12,000 men into the Arabian desert to reclaim the rest of his kingdom. After that, we lose track of him, but Christian chroniclers recorded that around 525 the Ethiopians caught up with the rebel leader and defeated him.
According to different traditions, the last Jewish king of Arabia was either killed in battle, or committed suicide by riding with his horse into the Red Sea.
“I am the son of Jericho. I am 10,000 years old … I am the proud son of the Netufians and the Canaanites. I’ve been there for 5,500 years before Joshua Bin Nun came and burned my hometown Jericho. I’m not going to change my narrative,”
For fifty years, archaeological research provides confirmations [through] the discovery of dozens of inscriptions and graffites in Yemen and Saudi Arabia [that] showed that Judaism was rooted in northwestern Saudi from the first centuries of the Christian era and was dominant in Yemen from the fourth century. Christianity, which had many followers in the islands of the Arabo-Persian Gulf and the coasts, has not spread to Yemen belatedly in some peripheral regions. Now, more than about the extent of Judaization that need be asked, but rather on the nature of Judaism that spread in Arabia from the second century.
...Erekat flew to Munich for a symposium about the Middle East peace process at which he had a heated argument with Livni.
Erekat explained that the reason for the argument was her insistence that Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
“I told her in front of the whole world that we will not change our history, our religion or our civilization,” Erekat said. “We are the lawful sons of Palestine; we will not accept Israel as a Jewish state”.
He added: “I informed Livni that Israel must apologize for Palestinian refugees, because they weren’t displaced by a volcano or a tsunami, but by the establishment of Israel. They should apologize to them and solve their issue on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative and international decisions.”
“Livni accused us of not wanting peace, and I told her that Israel is racist against Palestinians in ways that did not happen in South Africa. The world should rise against this racist regime, hold it accountable and punish it,” he added.
"I am the son of Jericho. I'm 10,0000 years old...I'm the proud son of the Natufians and the Canaanites. I've been there 5,500 years before Yehoshua Bin-Nun came and burned my home town, Jericho...I 'm not going to change my narrative...asking me to accept the Jewish state is to ask I change my narrative...You have two choices, go to the UN to change your name or accept my recognition of the registered name."
Erekat, for his part, said the Israeli demand that the PA recognize Israel as a Jewish state is unacceptable because, he claimed, he represents the Biblical Canaanites who “lived in the region 5,500 years before Joshua Bin-Nun came and burned my hometown Jericho.”
"The earliest known human society that we see in process of developing an economy based first on the systematic gathering of wild cereals and then on their artificial production was to be found in Palestine, Transjordan, and Lebanon between about 10,000 and 8000 B.C. Dubbed by prehistorians 'Natufian' after the type site just north of Jerusalem, this culture wasthe product of a human type of slight build with long heads (dolichocephalic) that can confidently be classified as Homo sapiens."
Donald B. Redford, Egypt, Canaan and Israel in Ancient Times p. 6, Princeton University Press, 1992
...The Palestinian creativity is worthy of the "grotesque award."...Any Israeli listening to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat explain to the participants of the Munich conference why the Palestinian Authority refuses to recognize the Jewish state, would immediately give him the "best joke of the year" and "most prolific imagination" awards.
Erekat, a Bedouin of Jordanian origin, carried on and on about how the Palestinians' national narrative claims that they are the descendants of the biblical Canaanites, and therefore "they were here first" and this land belongs to the Palestinians.
None of the European delegates protested, and all Justice Minister Tzipi Livni did was chuckle.
"Historian" Erekat explained that recognizing the Jewish nature of Israel would infringe on the Canaanite narrative, which gives the Palestinian prior claim to the land of Israel. This new "birth certificate" makes the question of the Palestinians' "paternity" all that more poignant, as they are made up of the various Arab nations.Erekat, in what can only be described as unprecedented folly, explained that the reason for the Palestinians' refusal to recognize Israel as the Jewish state stemmed from this prior Canaanite ownership, which they have no intention of giving up. In Munich, it seems, Erekat had declared the inception of "Canaanite Palestine" across the entire area of Israel. Cue the applause.
In the 1960s... Arafat's search for a "father" led him to claim that the Palestinians were the descendants of the biblical Jebusites.
...Many of the creators of the Palestinian narrative have claimed over the years that the Palestinians were of Philistine ancestry...To assert their claim to this land and justify their refusal to recognize Israel, the Palestinians have made up new forefathers -- the Canaanites. According to both the Bible and the Quran, these idol worshipers had become extinct and their land was given to the Jews -- so Erekat's statement actually did him a disservice.
It is natural for every bastard to invent a birth certificate naming a respectable father, but why would the Palestinians seek such dubious ones, and when are we going to fully realize with whom we are dealing?
Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that he had provided Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel with “some thoughts” about security arrangements that could be put in place if Israel and the Palestinians negotiated a peace agreement. Mr. Kerry presented the ideas on security arrangements in the West Bank and in the Jordan Valley along with John R. Allen
Secretary's Remarks: Statement Following Meeting With President Mahmoud Abbas12/05/2013 12:01 PM EST
Statement Following Meeting With President Mahmoud Abbas
...the goal here for everybody is a viable Palestinian state with the Palestinian people living side by side in peace with the state of Israel and with the people of Israel.
I think the interests are very similar, but there are questions of sovereignty, questions of respect and dignity which are obviously significant to the Palestinians, and for the Israelis very serious questions of security and also of longer-term issues of how we end this conflict once and for all.
So we will continue. I’m returning now to Jerusalem to have further conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and then shortly, perhaps in a week or so, may return for further discussions
PA Official: We Reject US Safeguards for Israel in Peace Plan
Palestinians held talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday on a possible future peace accord with Israel and emerged with mixed descriptions of how much common ground they had found with Israel's most vital ally.
One Palestinian official told Reuters his side had rejected Kerry's ideas for future security arrangements, without giving details of the proposals.
"...for the settlers, by the settlers, from the settlers.”
Saeb Erekat.
The Palestinian negotiating team [aka Erefat] has already presented its resignation over the issue, but Abbas has not yet accepted it.
Do you believe that the negotiations underway now will reach a peace
agreement with the Palestinians?
Yes 6% No 87.5% Don't know 6.5%
As all settlement building on Palestinian lands is illegal under international law, differentiating public and private-led expansion is a "false distinction," a statement from the former chief negotiator said on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed to freeze government settlement construction in an offer put to President Mahmoud Abbas by Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin on Wednesday, the Israeli daily Haaretz and a Palestinian official said.
In an interview with voice of Palestine, Erekat called on the international quartet members who have not yet recognized Palestine to do so as soon as possible in order to save the peace process.
He said that so far the Israeli government is not a peace partner; it only wants to dictate.
He stressed the Palestinian leadership’s position to return to negotiations based on clear terms of reference; the 1967 borders and a complete halt of the settlement activities.
Today a Palestinian official inadvertently slashed the "price" Israel would apparently have to pay to end the current campaign for a state:
"We will invite you [AL: Israel] to become the only authority from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean," veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, told Israel Radio.
...if we fail to make it clear to the Palestinians that they might suffer a defeat in their pursuit of unilateralism, they might ratchet up pressure on Israel. Over the past 20 years Israel has handed over a substantial amount of disputed land, but this did not deliver any progress on the state's national or security objectives in the relinquished areas.
It is time to take a page from the Palestinians' playbook. We should gradually annex Judea and Samaria. As a first step, Israel might annex the settlement blocs that enjoy across-the-board legitimacy among Israelis. It is time that those who try to grab things away from us come to the realization that we have a new mantra. We are simply going to respond in kind: You grab -- we grab.
...dropping the demand for the right of return and recognizing the state of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people [...] is both beyond the will and capability of the Palestinian leadership
US Consulate Denies Statements Attributed to its Consul General
August 27, 2011 (WAFA) – The United States consulate in Jerusalem Saturday denied statements attributed to its consul general, Daniel Rubinstein.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has quoted Rubinstein as telling him following their meeting in Jericho on Friday that the US Administration believes the Palestinian bid to ask for United Nations recognition and membership in September is futile and useless and that the US will veto the resolution and may even cut aid to the Palestinian Authority if it proceeds with its plans.
Deputy spokesperson of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, Arlissa Reynolds, said in a statement that “while we cannot get into private diplomatic
discussions, this report is not an accurate portrayal of the US position, nor did CG Rubinstein make the comments purported in the media.”...
“The acquisition of territory by force and aggression is both illegal and deplorable. This is a well established principle of international law. The world regards the Palestinian Territory comprised of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip as an occupied territory. Furthermore, the fact that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal is not in dispute, except in minds of the advocates of occupations.” said the Chief Negotiator.
Actually, the greatest part of Palestine is Jordan, where most Palestinians live. So, in a very real sense, they already have a country, except that it is ruled by an authoritarian monarchy that was imposed on them by the British. That the Arabs of eastern Palestine don’t live under democratic rule is the fault of neither David Ben-Gurion nor Netanyahu. It is a result of a deeply ingrained, political and social structure that, across the huge swath of land from Morocco to Iraq, has been imposed, without a single exception, by dictators. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t want Israel to operate or control or, for heaven’s sake, absorb the West Bank. Let the Arabs on the east and west banks of the Jordan River team up and see what they can make of their soon-to-be one country. I don’t think it will be pretty. You do? Good luck.
"It's more important than even the exact delineation of the border, which is a problem but we can agree on this: It's more important even than the security arrangements that are very important," he said.
Meridor said Erekat's statement that the Palestinian Authority has no right to negotiate the right of return of the refugees — that the refugees themselves will have to make the choice and they have the right both to return and to compensation — raised major problems.
Any peace agreement that did not settle the refugee issue would mean "there is no end to the conflict."
Meridor nonetheless quoted the late Pope John Paul II saying that Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, but was promised only to the Jews. The remark drew audible gasps from the audience. Erakat threw his hand to his forehead in desperation.
“If by the end of this year we have no two-state solution, you will sweat,” Erakat told Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Meridor
The last I know, Washington is 6,000 miles from Jerusalem, while Jericho is 67.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday that all of Jerusalem would always remain under Israeli sovereignty, in comments likely to spark consternation among Palestinians who hope to make the city the capital of a future state.
"Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, a city reunified so as never again to be divided," Netanyahu said at a ceremony to mark Jerusalem Day in the city's Mercaz Harav yeshiva. "Our people's unparalleled affinity to Jerusalem has spanned thousands of years, and is at the basis of our national renaissance. It has united our people, secular and religious people alike."
...Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu said similar things at a state ceremony to mark the day.
"United Jerusalem is Israel's capital. Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned and divided," Netanyahu said. [see full remarks below]
Netanyahu said he had made the same declaration during his recent visit to Washington, where he met with United States President Barack Obama over the peace process and Iran's nuclear program.
"Only under Israeli sovereignty will united Jerusalem ensure the freedom of religion and freedom of access for the three religions to the holy places," Netanyahu added.
...Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin also spoke at the ceremony at Mercaz Harav. He said that Israeli sovereignty of Jerusalem is not negotiable.
"The world must recognize our sovereignty, as well as the primacy of the Jewish people in the holy sites, as our inalienable right," Rivlin said.
...In his speech, Netanyahu echoed remarks made by President Shimon Peres, who said earlier at the ceremony that, "Israel will never have another capital other than Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will never be the capital of another people."
Peres stressed that Jerusalem was and remained Israel's capital, and spoke of the days before the Six Day war when Jews had limited access to the Old City.
"When Jerusalem was in non-Jewish hands, the Jews weren't allowed to pray at the holy sites; but under Jewish control, it is open to all faiths, and all prayers," he said.
"Unified Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem always has been and always will be ours and it will never be divided again," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the sounds of roaring applause.
"I stand here today… saying what I said in my visit to the US: Jerusalem will never be divided again. Only Israeli sovereignty over the city would ensure the freedom of religion for the three faiths, and it is the only thing that can guarantee that all minorities and congregations could continue living in it," he said.
...President Shimon Peres took the stage before Netanyahu, saying that Jerusalem is the only capital Israel and the Jewish people have ever known.
"Jerusalem's greatness does not stem from its geography, but rather from its history. No other city in the world has created such an abundance of spiritual and political history.
"Jerusalem is held sacred by half of mankind. It has and always will be Israel's capital. We never had another and it has never been the capital of any other people."
"...here, on this formidable hill we have to look around and say the achievement is as great as the pain. The men who have fallen here saved the most precious thing in our history – they saved Jerusalem."
The Palestinian Authority has unleashed an "unprecedented barrage of lies" negating Judaism's connection to Jerusalem, as part of a ongoing campaign to undermine the Jewish connection to the capital, an Israeli media watchdog group said on Thursday.
"Jerusalem is presented as a Muslim city, with no regard for historical reality," the Palestinian Media Watch report said. "Mention is made of the importance of Jerusalem for Christians, but Judaism has no place in the city."
The report, which was made public as Israel celebrated the 42nd anniversary of the reunification of the capital, cites top Muslim religious leaders in the city, ministers from the Fatah-run PA government in the West Bank as well as official Palestinian television denying any Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
...the PA is continuing to pursue an "alarmist" campaign of "denunciation and demonization" by presenting as fact the "incendiary libel" that Israel is trying to destroy the Aksa Mosque as part of a "Judaization" of the city, the report said...
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Netanyahu's position on Jerusalem was a setback to the goal of a two-state solution, which is strongly supported by the Obama administration.
"Mr. Netanyahu, by saying that, he's saying the state of conflict will be eternal," Erekat said.
Netanyahu wants talks with Palestinians to focus on shoring up their economy and improving security in the West Bank instead of tackling thorny issues like the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and final borders.
Palestinians reject this approach, saying the renewal of peace negotiations with Israel hinges on Netanyahu publicly endorsing Palestinian statehood and halting settlement activity.
The statement by Netanyahu on Jerusalem was similar to one made by Obama during last year's U.S. presidential campaign.
In a speech to a pro-Israel lobby group last June, Obama said Jerusalem "will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."
Not much for Arabs to celebrate on Jerusalem Day
Patrick Martin
Today, the 28th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, is celebrated by Israelis as Jerusalem Day. By this, they refer to the unification or “re-unification” of the city, by the capture of its eastern neighbourhoods, including the Old City, from Jordanian forces during the Six-Day War of 1967.
For a so-called “unified city,” it’s not hard to tell one side of town from the other.
For one thing, the Jewish side is far bigger than the Arab side. Some 492,400 Jews live on their, western, side (about 65 per cent of the population), including several new neighbourhoods built on land that was captured in 1967. Some 268,400 Arabs live on their eastern side.
Honorable President, Mr. Shimon Peres,
Honorable Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Reuven Rivlin,
President of the Supreme Court, Justice Dorit Beinish,
Ministers, Members of Knesset,
Chairman of the Opposition,
Israel's Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger,
Chief of the General Staff, Maj. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi,
Dear Bereaved Families,
IDF Fighters and their Families,
Distinguished Guests,
Last night I returned to Jerusalem, our capital, from a very important visit to Washington, capital of the United States. It was very important for me to come back to participate in this ceremony and say the same things I said in the United States:
United Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem has always been – and always will be – ours. It will never again be divided or cut in half. Jerusalem will remain only under Israel's sovereignty. In united Jerusalem, the freedom of worship and freedom of access for all three religions to the holy sites will be guaranteed, and it is the only way to guarantee that members of all faiths, minorities and denominations can continue living here safely.
Distinguished guests,
For nineteen years Jerusalem was a wounded city; a city at the heart of which were barbed wires and minefields, firing posts and "no-man's lands"; a city whose main streets were covered with defensive walls against snipers; a city whose residents could not move freely from place to place. In June 1967, this situation changed forever. It changed in this place, on Ammunition Hill, and in other heroic battles inside Jerusalem.
You, fighters for the liberation of Jerusalem, with your bodies and with the blood of your comrades, pried open the chokehold, united the city together, and allowed Jerusalem to be reopened once again as a lively, vibrant city.
I enlisted shortly after the liberation of Jerusalem and I met with one of the fighters, who is here with us today, Nir Nitzan. He did not voluntarily tell us; we had to repeatedly ask him to tell us what happened here, in that battle. Ultimately, quietly, shortly, dryly even, he told us a little of what took place here on that day, and we, as youngsters, stood in awe of the greatness of spirit, solidarity and sacrifice of those fighters who fought here, and the many others who fought in other places. The fighters who fell instilled pride in our people and gave us back our capital. As a boy, that day was etched in my memory. I remember the elation following the words of Motta Gur, when we heard the news on the radio and Motta Gur announced: "Har Habayit is in our hands!" The excitement we felt was something neither we nor any other Jew experienced for generations. It lifted the hearts of Jews all over the world.
Another remarkable thing happened: thousands, thousands of Israeli citizens, not only from Jerusalem, but from all over the country, rushed in masses into the Old City, passing through roads that were previously blocked, places we were never allowed to set foot in, through barbed wires, along the now shattered separation walls, climbing rocks and entering into back alleys – all of us heading towards the same place: the Western Wall. I remember that the square was narrow – in fact, there was no square at all – and the place was too narrow to contain the large masses, and each of us waited our turn to arrive at that ancient wall. I remember the beating of my heart and the exhilaration I felt when I first touched the stones of the Western Wall, thinking about King David, King Solomon, Israel's prophets and kings and the Maccabim. I thought about the people of Israel throughout the generations, as did the thousands of Israelis who arrived there. The liberation of Jerusalem and the Western Wall marked for all of us the deep connection to the roots of Jewish history. We felt that the dream of generations had finally come true.
Thousands of years ago, a Psalms poet wrote: "built-up Jerusalem is like a city that is united together". It is as if this song was written now about the events of our generation.
Look around you and see how Jerusalem is built, how it is connected, how it grows and develops to the east and west, north and south. Jews, Muslims and Christians, religious and secular, ultra-orthodox and conservatives live here in peace and good neighborly relations.
Look around you and see how vibrant and full of life Jerusalem is, during the day and night. The houses of prayer and synagogues are filled, as are the cafés and recreational places.
But Jerusalem is not only a city of the day-to-day or night life. It is first and foremost a city of sanctity, a city of vision, a city of prayer; the eyes of the entire world are fixed on Jerusalem. As Isaiah prophesized: "it will happen in the end of days: The mountain of the Temple of the Almighty will be firmly established as the head of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills, and all the nations will stream to it…for from Zion will the Torah come forth, and the word of the Almighty from Jerusalem".
Since the unification of Jerusalem under Israel's flag, this prophecy has been gradually coming true. Never, in the thousands of years of its history, has Jerusalem been so great and remarkable, never did it have such freedom of worship for members of all faiths and such free access to all places of worship. Pilgrims, believers and visitors from all ends of the universe visit Jerusalem every day.
Our connection to Jerusalem is thousands of years old. As a people, we have never relinquished "the apple of our eye", the object of our prayers, our nation's capital, Jerusalem. Today, as a state, we are fulfilling this age-old yearning, this ancient wish.
The greatest hardships, exiles and difficulties in history could never dissuade us from pursuing the realization of the Jewish people's dream of generations – the establishment of a state in the land of Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital. This was the wish of every Jew in exile, at every community and in every prayer: "next year in built-up Jerusalem". I believe that only the reuniting of Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty would enable us to quickly fulfill the second part of Isaiah's prophecy: "they shall beat their swords into plowshares…nation will not lift sword against nation and they will no longer learn how to wage warfare".
This is our prayer, and this is our hope here in Jerusalem.
A veteran Palestinian negotiator visited the United States to promote an upcoming Palestinian unity government...sources said that the negotiator, Saeb Erekat, kept a low profile in his visit to Washington where he held intensive meetings with American officials to urge them deal with the government.
Ahmed Quriea...said no to officially accepting that yet another 6.8 percent of the West Bank would permanently be taken into Israeli boundaries. Most of historic Palestine is now Israel, with the West Bank just a fraction of it once was...An Israeli official responded in the AFP on condition of anonymity today by saying, “These statements are not accurate.”
He was referring to Quriea’s quote of 6.8 percent and turned the phrase to suggest the Israelis were giving something up. “The Palestinians rejected the offer of the Israelis to withdraw from 93 percent of the West Bank.”...The unnamed official said the position of outgoing Israeli Prime Minister remains as it did in September when he said he would withdraw from all territory occupied in 1967...Qureia told a Ramallah press conference that this too was rejected because the Israelis offered it as an exchange for the return of 5,000 Palestinian refugees to the homes they were forced from in 1948. Under international law and United Nations resolutions all refugees have the right of return. UN Resolution 194 is an individual and collective right that no one can negotiate away.
The seven percent of the West Bank that the Israelis say they will keep encompasses the major settlement blocs inhabited by approximately 300,000 Jewish settlers that surround Jerusalem.
Israel proposed to annex 6.8 percent of the West Bank and to take in a few thousand refugees under a peace deal, but it has not revealed its position on the most contentious issue — the future of Jerusalem, the chief Palestinian negotiators said Friday night...Qureia told Palestinian reporters that Israel wants to keep four blocs of Jewish settlements in the West Bank — Ariel, Maaleh Adumim, Givat Zeev and Efrat-Gush Etzion...Israel offered to give some of its own territory as compensation, but not an equal trade in size and quality...Qureia said Olmert's offer during talks to take in 5,000 Palestinian refugees over five years was rejected..."To say that not a single refugee would be allowed back or that all the refugees should be allowed back is not a solution," he said. "We should reach a mutual position on this issue."
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Wednesday said that Palestinian refugees have no right to return to Israel due to the state's Jewish nature
I am thinking about the ultimate goal of the State of Israel and upholding Israel’s values as a Jewish and democratic state...I believe that our responsibility is to work in accordance with Israeli interests, and Israeli interests are to try to translate the vision into two states for two people living side by side in peace and security...But two nation states in which Israel is the Jewish state and the other state is the answer, the full answer, to the aspirations of the Palestinians and it means that there will be no refugees coming into Israel.
Most of historic Palestine is now Israel
Erekat rejects calls to drop Palestinian refugees' right of return
GAZA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Former Palestinian chief negotiator and legislature Saeb Erekat said Friday that the Palestinians would never drop their legitimate right of return, adding that the question of refugees and their right of return would be discussed between Israel and the Palestinians by the year 2004.
Erekat's remarks came after Martin Indyk, the former US ambassador to Israel, said that the Palestinians should drop the right of return to their lands they had left in 1948.
[Ehud] Barak apparently did go far beyond his opening positions at Camp David. He agreed to recognize a Palestinian state...He broke the Israeli taboo on negotiating over Jerusalem and talked about...a Palestinian flag flying over the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount, though Israeli sovereignty over the entire city would remain. He agreed to the resettlement of some 100,000 Palestinian refugees inside Israel proper in the framework of a family unification program, and to Israeli participation in an international fund to compensate the 4-5 million other refugees. Certainly, no other Israeli leader has gone this far.
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