Erekat to Haaretz: New proposal more generous than deal we offered Olmert

to settle in Israel is a non starter.

Stay turned to the ever changing process of land for peace; watch as Netanyahu steps back from his statement Jerusalem is the undivided capitol of Israel. Everyone is watching; no one is blinding yet. Watch as Abbas declares the new PAL state will be Jew free and actually gets away with it. Watch as Obama slides the knife into Israel’s ribs at the last minute. Peace is at hand and so is war; how can this be unless there really is no consensus between the parties. The ME is becoming a millstone around the world’s neck. Wars and rumors of war, Nations rising up against nations. You cannot know the time, but you can know the season. The Judaic/Christian world waits for the Messiah who will bring peace, but the Muslim’s await their Messiah who will bring destruction to the non Muslim word. With all this going on; can peace be achieved?

and Arab delaying tactics till now. Do tell how you know the details you claim? What is the place of the "refugee winning card" in this generous offer.?

let us hope that the interpretation of resolutions 242 and 338 be a little different from 242 dunams for palestine and 338 settlements for israel

The PA has made a generous opening offer. It will give up close to 2% of its land for peace. You don't need a map to work that one out, it's one-fifth of the land east of the Green Line that has been seized by Israel's 'Security barrier'. So the Beitar Illit bloc, most of Gush Etzion, the 10 big settlements around Jerusalem and the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. That's a big hit, Jewish Israelis should be more than content with that undeserved land haul. Now over to Israel - what's it going to offer on its part? The trouble is, Israel never says. They have so many conditions (14) and want so much of Palestine (40% if Bibi is serious about the Jordan Valley), I guess it's difficult to know where to start if you're Israel and on the make. You risk the rest of the world having an apoplectic fit when they realise the full extent of Israeli greed, even the USA and Micronesia will balk at that. Before any ardent Zio says that Olmert presented an Israeli map last time around, do remember that he SHOWED them (didn't give them) a map and said that the deal was conditional upon the PA signing a comprehensive and final agreement based on that map - which showed Israel keeping East Jerusalem, Ariel, Ma'ale Adumim and other impossible Sudetenland-style demands. When the Pals declined to agree the excessive territory that Israel sought to grab (6.3% of the West Bank), the Israelis did not give the PA a copy of the map! Is it remotely possible that Israel can for once put aside the tactics of the souk, the used car salesman and the bullying military oppressor and come up with a genuine and sensible counter-offer? With Netanyahu and his far-right factions wedded to their 19th Century expansionist, nationalist dream of A Greater Jewish Reich, don't think anyone should hold their breath that any commonsense will come out of Jerusalem. But let's see what TANGIBLE proposals Israel presents in return. The world is waiting...

The world will end before this conflict is solved. So let's just stop talking about it. Who cares?

First Hamas must ratify the agreement, without that you don't have an agreement. The only solution is a three state solution with Gaza being its own state, allied with another entity such as Egypt with a loose affiliation with West Bank. You don't ahve a true desire for peace on the PA just more time to get more money for its leaders.

SE is also known in Israel as the Pathological Liar, or Arafat's Remote control. During the battle in Jenin, SE made numerous interviews to the press to claim that the Israelis killed 500 Palestinians. Whatever SE says, I would be very carefull !

Abbas represents almost nothing for the Palestinians. He is an US's stooge and thus proposes exactly what "controlled" congress tells him to propose. I fear Israel will never get such a wonderful negotiator. Hurry up : it's clearance sales !

If the PA offer is so far-reaching why not disclose the details to the public and thereby put pressure on Netanyahu to accept? Is Abbas frightened that the Israelis will accept the offer but his own people will reject it? Maybe that's because of all the years of incitement. The Palestinians have only ever known leaders who follow, never leaders who lead. If there really was "an Israeli proposal to allow 15,000 Palestinian refugees to return to the country every year over 10 years" (which I very much doubt), the PA is nuts for not grabbing it. How many 1948 refugees are still alive? Olmert's proposed map that he handed to the PA in 2008 was subsequently published in Ha'aretz. Let's see the PA map!

Who will stop Hamas from firing rockets? Or any other Iranian-backed group for that matter?

Sellout by Mr. Abbas that yet will be rejected by the Zionists.

This whole situation is so perverse. One side or the other seeks a little gain based on a sickening "my people deserves more than yours" theory. Both have held the land in dispute. Both say it is theirs. Both have no qualms about killing the other to prove their own right is ascendent. Israelis have more blood on their hands, but Palestinians may have killed more indiscriminately (bus bombs, disco bombs, and missiles with no guidance system). My impression of the situation is that Abbas is doing the right things (without signalling an absolute surrender), Netanyahu is trying to say the right things and do nothing, and Hamas has no interest in a peace agreement whatsoever and would act to sabotage it. On the outside, USA still considers israels interests paramount and does not consider further conflict too great a price if it is what GOI wants. Europe wants peace and a reasonable solution above all else, Russia is a bit inscrutable but probably prefers peace over further conflict, and the UN has granted a little too much influence to its "peace first" bodies which criticize Israel at a hat drop but dismiss too many Palestinian wrongs. Still the only ones who would extend conflict stand in a bad light: Hamas, Israeli government, Yesha, Syria, Iran, and Al Qaeda. I think will for peace is strong among USA, Fatah, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and some factions in Israel. I wish Obama's administration would follow through on their threat to condemn those hindering the peace process. This awful conflict has gone too long, cost too much, and benefited too few.

or just the normal daily delusion. That is the only question about these comments so detached from any factual basis.

When do you plan to accept and proclaim in Arabic and Hebrew and English Erekat right to his own country, west of the Jordan? With Full Sovereignty and based on his and his people's historic, ethical and legal grounds? When will Netanyahu state this unequivocally? I've heard and read that from Erekat and Abbas, but never from Netanyahu or any Likudnik.

There never will be a Pal state, certainly not with Jerusalem as Capital. negotiations will not acheive that.

I astounded to hear that the Palestinians put in detail an offer to Mitchell and haven't heard a single word back from the peace loving Israeli PM. All I've seen for months is you Zionist bad mouthing the Pals for being non committal. Well where is the Israeli peace proposal? Pray tell let the whole world know, we've been waiting for 20 years. I suspect there's nothing. All Israel wants to do is stall. There's always a reason. If they can't give the Palestinians some rough boundary conditions, they this whole thing is a shame. I suggest the Palestinians just throw in the towel. They will never get the Zionist to agree to anything. I suspect Israel wants all of the West Bank, and is looking for a bloody excuse to incite the Palestinians so they can expel them. Just like the did in 48' when they incited panic amongst the indigenous peoples to flee their villages.

150.000 Palestinian refugees into Israel is insane. It doesn't solve the Palestinian refugee issue, and it just is a demographic Troyan horse for Israel. The whole idea is a non starter. Let settlers return to the green line within Israel, and Palestinian refugees to Palestine. Then you do honor the "solve the conflict" mantra.

West Bank Arabs are shrewd Politicians. Gazan Arabs are Terrorists. Israel is Old Sparta with a High Tech Twist run by shrewd Politicians. Settlers are Mishuginahs. Evangelicals will support all the Jews. I just want to see the end of the Wars. Saddam is gone. Assad Sr. has left this World and an Eye Doctor has taken over. Hezbollah won't listen to anybody and the Lebanese still hate each other. Russia and the U.S. just want the oil and to make some money. The Cold War has ended. The Chinese want peace too but they sympathize with North Korea. Iran is being run by insane people who want Iranians to live with Medieval Laws like stoning and the elections aren't fair. Saudis are keeping tight lipped. Who knows what they are really thinking? People on the Palestinian Side. Erekat is a normal person. I don't agree with Hanan Ashrawi over issues like Jerusalem but if I was in her shoes, I'd probably say the same thing. On the Israeli Side. Barak is a brave statesman and a warrior. Netanyahu is a shrewd politician. The Palestinians in Lebanon will never be satisfied but they shouldn't be unduly persecuted either. They should be resettled in other parts of the Arab World if they're in danger. The Palestinians in Jordan are okay. Actually, I'd feel fine if the Arab League would just accept Israel into it. Then maybe it could all be called something else. I'd name it after me. Yo-Semite Land.

An accommodation of peaceful co-existence between Arab and Jew, between the Arab world and the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel? Is your problem with the concept of "peaceful"? If so, why should Israel talk to you in the first place? Or, perhaps your problem is with the concept of "co-existence"? Is your goal to eliminate the existence of your opponents? If so, again, why should anyone talk to you? And of course, you may object to accepting Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people? If so, why should anyone accept your demand of a nation-state of the "Palestinian people"? Note, United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 which has been the basis for ALL peace talks and agreements does not call for the setting up of an additional state in the region all together and concepts such as "Palestine" or "Palestinian people" don't appear in the resolution at all. So, the question remains: Why do you, the leaders of the Arab world, local and regional, refuse to accept the concept of "an accommodation of peaceful coexistence between Arab and Jew, between the Arab world and the nation state of the Jewish people, Israel"??!!

Abbas needs to push the Quartet for support in any direct negotiations. Hillary Clinton has already demonstrated a strong bias favoring Israel and their so-called "facts on the ground". It was Russia that thwarted Hillary's attempts to ram settlements down Abbas' throat. Obama allowed vicious attacks on Goldstone for his impartial assessment of the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Abbas needs to look to Russia and the EU for support and guidance rather than blindly trust the USA. After the USA has empowered Israel in the past to continue their campaign of suppression against Palestine.

They parade them out when ever there is a big pay out, so they can further fatten their Swiss bank accounts.

These zionist with their spoiled mentality thinking they can push the envelope by taking in more land. The trouble that my zionist friends is that since we Americans have supported you for decades we get the heat from the rest of the Islamic world because it looks like we condone your greedy mentality. This puts americans in danger like it already has and its about this silliness of yours comes to an end. There is an end to our patience and its coming very soon if you don't give the palestinians a fair resolution to this whole sorted affair. We can't afford to have our people here in America getting attacked and our treasury deplete with wars indefinitely in that part of the world just because you want more land. If you don't think the Islamic world hates us for supporting Israel then you have your heads screwed on wrong.

the article under the above spoke about quassam rockets that bombed Israel today. If the leaders of Gaza cannot control the terrorists what is the use of talking about peace with them?

The offer of which was to remove Israel from planet earth

...the nation-state of the Jewish people, based on historic, ethical and legal grounds, and 2) accept a peace treaty as the "end of the conflict". State the above, in Arabic, Hebrew and English, and you'll see a sea-change of attitude among all the relevant parties; a change for the good, from which all will benefit. Will Mr. Erekat make such a statement, or will Mr. Abbas...??

Abu Mazen couldn't make peace even if he wanted to.His power and control over the Palestinians is weak at best and it extends only over the West Bank.He doesn't want to get into direct negotiations because he knows his own people won't follow him

Unfortunately for Mr Eirekat, Hanan Ashrawi is more credible.

The real truth is simple. The chance for peace between Israel and Palestine has irrevocably past. There can be no peace until there are no Palestinians left in Judea and Samaria. Clearly Abbas and Erkat understand that once the USA is out of the negotiations, then the negotiations are over. Where they are wrong is that there could be any other outcome. Israel has no interest in making peace with the Palestinians. Indeed Israel is determined that there are no Palestinians, only Arabs who live in Israel. The USA has no interest in securing a homeland for Palestinians. The EU has no desire to sacrifice for a homeland for Palestinians. The Arab League is only interested in blaming Israel for the failure to have a Palestinian homeland. The UN has no ability or desire to promote a Palestinian homeland. To put the conclusions in the simplest possible terms: Aside from Palestinians - who are powerless - there is NO power on Earth willing to lift a finger to preserve a homeland for Palestinians. Solution? Palestinians should try and gain refuge in Europe and America for themselves.

Without the details, Netanyahu can continue to lie to the Israeli people. Erekat should know this. If Erekat keeps the details secret, the Israeli people will never know how generous the offer is. All they will be told is that "Arabs want it all!" Mr. Erekat - You are already Israeli internal politics. All politics is local.

Israel needs land for greater Israel, and no one can stop them, except the United States. If Abbas cannot get the land back then he must seek the vote.

The Palestinians won't.

come to a solution to end this conflict already!

The Israeli Government will Fall right after the US mid-term elections.

Nothing new here at all

That's why the world is in favor of direct peace talks.

Reaching a deal is important but implementing the deal is more crucial. I hope that a deal can be achieved. Because a small piece of desert became a deadlock for regional peace. Furthermore, it instigates the radical movements all over the world.