Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday met with Arab correspondents and stressed that the PA would not back down from its goal of establishing a state. Abbas also declared that he would only be willing to resume talks with Israel if it stops building “settlements”. “We adhere to our national founding principles that speak of the establishment of our independent state with its capital in East Jerusalem, along the borders of 1967,” he told the journalists.
“Anyone who agrees to a Palestinian state without Jerusalem as its capital is a traitor,” declared the PA chairman. He stressed that the Palestinians will not accept a situation in which Israel does not implement the agreements it signed and will not agree to temporary arrangements that will not lead to the realization of the “legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.” According to Abbas, the Palestinian state with its capital in eastern Jerusalem will indeed be established, and “we will stand firm on our land without taking into account the size of the challenges facing us, and the next step will require patience, steadfastness, hope and adherence to our rights.” FULL REPORT
