Abbas Admits For the First Time That He Turned Down Peace Offer in 2008

[shira]

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has publicly confirmed for the first time that he turned down a peace offer in 2008 that would have provided for an independent Palestinian state containing all of the Gaza Strip, much of the West Bank (with land swaps), and a tunnel connecting the two areas.

Abbas made his comments in an interview on Israel’s Channel 10, which has been broadcasting a three-part series on the peace talks of 2000 and 2008. According to both Abbas and Ehud Olmert, Israel’s Prime Minister in 2008, Olmert presented Abbas in September of that year with a map that delineated the borders of the future State of Palestine. Abbas said that he “rejected it out of hand” because he claimed not to be an expert on maps, and because Olmert’s domestic scandals meant that he would shortly leave office (Olmert was later convicted of corruption). While both Olmert and other Palestinian leaders have previously said that Abbas turned down a peace proposal, this is the first time that the Palestinian Authority president has admitted as such.

At 24:05 of the video, Channel 10 reporter Raviv Drucker asked Abbas: “In the map that Olmert presented you, Israel would annex 6.3 percent (of the West Bank) and compensate the Palestinians with 5.8 percent (taken from pre-1967 Israel). What did you propose in return?”

“I did not agree,” Abbas replied. “I rejected it out of hand.”

At 26:53 of the video, Drucker pressed again:

Drucker: Why, really, did you not accept Olmert’s offer?

Abbas: He (Olmert) said to me, “Here’s a map. See it? That’s all.” I respected his decision not to give me the map. But how can we sign something that hasn’t been given us, that hasn’t been discussed?

http://www.thetower.org/2580-breaking-abbas-admits-for-the-first-time-that-he-turned-down-peace-offer-in-2008/

[Agnosticsherbet]

1. Abbas did not want peace...

He got what he wanted.

[6chars]

2. Abbas' notes of map in offer

with additional .7% as safe passage btwn WB and Gaza. You can see minimal zones around major Jewish settlement blocks, expanded areas around WB and Gaza.

[aranthus]

3. One more reason why the Israelis don't think that they have a partner for peace.

Obviously, the Israeli government has known this all along.

[Little Tich]

4. How does this reflect badly on Abbas?

From what I understand, it was a scam. A border proposal is usually serious business, with lots of frowning people around a table with maps. In this case, Abbas wasn't even allowed to keep the damn map...

[shira]

6. It shows Abbas isn't serious about a 2 state solution...

Last edited Wed Nov 18, 2015, 12:27 PM - Edit history (1)

I haven't found any Israel haters who would be satisfied with any 2 state arrangement that leaves a Jewish state intact & secure.

[shira]

12. Abbas' outright rejection also proves terror isn't based on occupation....

....and anyone claiming so is engaging in incitement - and complicit for future murders.

[Little Tich]

13. All I see is a scam being offered and rejected.

If it would have been anything but a scam, it would have been possible to thoroughly scrutinize the whole deal and the details would have been freely given to Abbas, who then could have come back with a counter offer after discussing it with his people. Besides, if Netanyahu was even remotely serious about two-states, why didn't he let the deal stand?

This is more like one of these phone calls when some very persistent young lady insists on you giving her your credit card number right now, or you will lose that wonderful deal that she offers...

[shira]

14. Abbas said the offer was serious - no scam.

Interviewed separately by Israel’s Channel 10 TV, both men described the negotiations as serious and said a peace deal was achievable,

Nonetheless, the Palestinian leader described the talks as the most serious negotiations since an interim peace accord was reached in 1993 under then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

“I feel he (Olmert) was assassinated politically as Rabin was assassinated materially. I feel if we had continued four to five months, we could have concluded the issues,” he said.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-admits-he-rejected-2008-peace-offer-from-olmert/

[azurnoir]

5. Netanyahu: I won't carry out an Olmert-Abbas peace deal if elected

more over Olmert was forced to resign days after the offer was made shortly there after Bibi was elected and the rest as they say is history , it's been 7+ years but the memory hole is not as deep as some seem to hope

Opposition leader favored by polls to sweep elections if held today rejects proposal to divide Jerusalem, says would toss out agreement between current PM, Palestinians

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3533242,00.html

Nabil Abu Rdainah, Abbas's spokesman, told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's plan showed a "lack of seriousness."

Under the proposal, Israel would return to the Palestinians 93 percent of the West Bank, plus all of the Gaza Strip, when the Palestinian Authority regains control over the Gaza Strip, which the militant group Hamas seized from forces loyal to Abbas in June 2006.

Olmert presented Abbas with the proposal as part of an agreement in principle on borders, refugees and security arrangements between Israel and a future Palestinian state

http://www.haaretz.com/news/pa-rejects-olmert-s-offer-to-withdraw-from-93-of-west-bank-1.251578

Shaul Arieli of the Council for Peace and Security, which developed a map with a final border as part of the Geneva Initiative, said Israel's capacity to swap territory with a future Palestinian state is more limited than what Olmert reportedly proposed.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/haaretz-exclusive-olmert-s-plan-for-peace-with-the-palestinians-1.1970

[shira]

7. So? You don't believe Abbas should've accepted the Olmert deal either.

If Bibi were to offer it again, you'd be against it - right?

And assuming Bibi makes that offer, Israel should be pressured after another Abbas rejection to do what.....?

[azurnoir]

8. No I don't believe the offer was valid in the first place as per the links

[shira]

9. But you'd be against even if it was 100% valid & legit, correct? n/t

[azurnoir]

10. Moot point

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

11. So I guess that your slip there is that IT wasn't 100% valid.

Interesting.