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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Thursday (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners May 15, 2006 |
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called for Israel to return to the negotiating table during a speech marking the anniversary of what the Palestinians consider to be the "catastrophe" (Naqba) of Israel's creation.
Abbas also urged Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip to halt rocket attacks on Israel. He said the violence encourages Israel to step up its military activity and proceed with unilateral plans to impose a border on the Palestinians.
"I tell our neighbors, the Israelis, that we want to make a just and lasting peace with you, and we want a better future for our children and yours. So come make this year a year of peace," he said in a recorded speech set to be broadcast later Monday on Palestinian television and radio.
Israel has said there can be no peace talks until the new Hamas-led Palestinian government renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.
Abbas, from the rival Fatah movement, has been urging Hamas to soften its line, but so far been unsuccessful. Previous calls for Israel to resume peace talks have been rebuffed, and there was no word whether Israel would accept his latest offer.
"Let's stop the pretext that there's no Palestinian partner," Abbas said. "The partner exists, and we extend our hand to you to make peace."
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said his government wants to reach a peace agreement, but dismissed the idea of bypassing Hamas and talking only to Abbas. "No one can ignore the reality following the Palestinian election, substantive political power has moved to Hamas," he said.
Abbas' speech marked "the Naqba," or "catastrophe," the term that Palestinians use to describe the creation of Israel 58 years ago. Palestinians planned a series of marches and speeches throughout the day, and at 1 p.m., a mourning siren was scheduled to sound throughout Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
Israel celebrated its Independence Day earlier this month, marking the anniversary according to the Jewish calendar.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas planned to deliver a separate speech late Monday in Gaza, reflecting the ongoing rift between his group and Abbas' moderate Fatah movement.
Hamas has rejected the international community's calls to renounce violence, despite a crippling economic boycott that has left the government broke and unable to pay the salaries to tens of thousands of employees.
In his speech, Abbas signaled to Hamas that it must change its ways and pursue a path of diplomacy. "The PLO, which led our people in its most difficult times, would not have survived until now, or received international recognition, had it not been forthcoming in formulating courageous political initiatives," he said.
At the same time, he welcomed the recent decision by Western donors to restore humanitarian aid to the impoverished Palestinians. It remains unclear, however, when the money will begin flowing, or how exactly it will be spent.
"The situation as I see it requires the international community not to punish the Palestinian people for their democratic choice," he said. "I hope the salaries of tens of thousands of employees will come soon."
Abbas called on Palestinian terrorists in Gaza to halt rocket attacks aimed at Israel. The rocket fire has prompted harsh Israeli reprisals of air strikes and artillery fire. The Hamas government has refused to criticize the rocket fire or take steps to halt the attacks.
"The futile 'missiles' fired from Gaza should be stopped, as they only justify Israel's aggression against our people," he said. "Fiery statements, speeches and slogans can only result in more isolation, and what is more dangerous, will lead us into the pothole Israel wants to keep us in, in order to say we have no Palestinian partner to negotiate with."
The Naqba commemorations came days before the new Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, makes his first trip to Washington. Olmert is expected to present American officials with his plans for a withdrawal from much of Judea and Samaria.
Olmert says he would prefer a negotiated settlement, but will take unilateral action if Hamas doesn't soften its line in the coming months. His plan, which calls for dismantling dozens of Jewish settlements while strengthening large settlement blocs, falls short of the Palestinian claim to all of Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem.
"Let us sit down at the negotiating table, away from dictated solutions and away from unilateral steps," he said. He called on the "Quartet" of Mideast peace makers - the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia - to convene an international conference to "realize the dream ... that will result in the creation of an independent free and democratic Palestinian state with Arab East Jerusalem as its capital."
AP contributed to this report.
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