Jerusalem – Erekat Denies Report That Israel Would Keep Kotel

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    FILE - U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, left, and Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian negotiator, wave to the press before his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, not pictured, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday, May 8, 2010. Photo by Issam Rimawi / Flash 90 Jerusalem – Chief Palestinian Authority Negotiator Saeb Erekat denied on Saturday a report in claiming that PA President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to Israel maintaining control over the Western Wall, reported Israel Radio.

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    Erekat also denied the assertion that Abbas was willing to carry out a land swap for 2.3 percent of the West Bank to allow Israel to maintain some of the settlement blocks, in exchange for territory south of Hebron.

    According to a Saturday report in the London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has agreed that the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem remain under Israeli sovereignty in the context of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

    Al-Hayat reported that Abbas made the offer in “written ideas” he presented to US Middle East envoy George Mitchell at the beginning of the “proximity talks” with Israel.

    Abbas’s ideas, the newspaper report said, called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on land equal to 100 percent of the entire West Bank, while carrying out a 2.3% land swap between the two sides.

    Palestinian officials in Ramallah said that Abbas’s proposals were largely based on the peace negotiations conducted in 2000, first at Camp David and later at the Egyptian resort of Taba.

    The proposed land swap would enable Israel to annex large settlement blocs in the West Bank such as Gush Etzion, Givat Ze’ev and Modi’in Ilit, as well as a strip of land opposite Ben-Gurion Airport, the officials told the newspaper.

    In return, the Palestinians would be given a strip of land adjacent to Hebron that would be the same size as the territory annexed by Israel, they added.

    With regard to Jerusalem, Abbas’s ideas envisage an Israeli withdrawal from east Jerusalem, including the Old City, with the exception of the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter. The city would also remain open to followers of all religions.

    In addition, the safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reopened, the report said.

    Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office refused to comment on the Al-Hayat report by press time on Saturday night.


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    23 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    He is dreaming.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    wow… he is letteing us keep what is ours.. so he can then send missles next door… some peace this will be….it will never happen… keep dreaming…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    intentional leak , which will not even be mentioned in the Israeli media .

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    We should not even consider returning the har habayis area in Yerushalalim. It would be prefereable to return the area around Chevron or other west bank settlments but keep as much of Yerushalayim as possible.

    BG
    BG
    13 years ago

    Don’t be stupid!
    Just tell whole world – no land for palestinians in Israel!
    More you try to give in – more “tainos” you will have.
    Have some guts!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    The land of Israel belongs to the jews. ALL of it.

    chelm
    chelm
    13 years ago

    Wow, how sweet of the squatters, they are “offering” to “let” us keep a tiny slice of our own territory! There is no country and no people who have a greater claim to their land than the Jews, and they have the nerve to try tell us “what” we can have. Note, this is the well-known Israeli trial-balloon trick. It will not fly.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    How can he give what he doesn’t own? Abu Mazen is a nut and so are the rest of his cronies. He’s a president of a country that doesn’t exist and doesn’t have regular elections but is fawned over by world leaders. Nice work if you can get it.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    There is no chance the PLO will ever agree to a Peace Treaty of any nature. This is pure insanity on the part of the politicians. What will happen is rejectionism by the PLO and terrorism. This is the Muslim way. They love war and are destined to poverty and destruction forever.

    golly gosh
    golly gosh
    13 years ago

    Maybe we should just get on our knees and beg the palestinians, who lost 5 wars, to let us stay in tel aviv, haifa and beersheva.
    Maybe we should just let the arabs back and give up everything jewish including jerusalem.
    The pathetic zionists hardly deserve anything, denying the miracles G-D bestowed upon them. They are
    Ungrateful good for nothings.
    And pretty dumb too.
    Which country or people in history gave back land after being attacked and were victorious??
    Utterly ridiculous.
    The reason the children of cmaels and donkeys talk like this is because this is what they hear from us.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I propose a different land swap. Israel gives up the land it has to the south of Gaza which is not part of biblical Israel, so that Gaza can be expanded. In return Moslems vacate the West Bank. Palestinians talk about Israel going back to the 1967 borders. I say let Israel go back to the 0070 borders just before the bais hamikdash was destroyed.

    Common Sense
    Common Sense
    13 years ago

    BH

    We should give them a wailing wall of their own and let them give us Har Habaiyis.

    mamarachel
    mamarachel
    13 years ago

    And Kever Rochel will also, as will be the entire land of OURS, Chas VeShalom, be in the hands of the PERE ODOM that YODO BAKOL !!! The Torah tells us that they will not stop until they have KOL…EVERYTHING. This is not a Drush…a translation of what the Torah says, it is P’SHAT the simple translation of the words!!!! H-SHEM YERACHAIM!!!!!!!

    to number 17
    to number 17
    13 years ago

    international protectorate
    Oh you mean like the way the British protected it from the Jews and were in bed with the Arabs. Everyone wants to get their hands on the only semi democratic and religous importance to at least 3 major religions , country. There will be no fair protectorate. They want it for their own and to kick the yidden out completely.
    We left mitzrayim , slavery you want to enslave your people under goyishe rulers again?????
    YOU and others like you are the reason there is decension amongst our people. Jewish blood has been spilled r”l to return our land to us, and you want to make a mockery of those martyrs religious and non religious???
    Religious or not its still jewish blood, the same that runs thrue your self rightious body!

    Mir guy
    Mir guy
    13 years ago

    Give back all East Jerusalem except the Jewish Quarter? Ramat Eshkol, Sanhedria Murchevet, Arzei Habirah, Maalot Dafna?