Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed despair about the Middle East peace process in an interview that appeared on Sundaay.
“I found all ways blocked, then I decided not to rerun for another term, and that is not fleeing responsibility,” he told the pan-Arab newspaper Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat.
“I am not optimistic and I do not want to have illusions,” he also said.
He also revealed that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered him a proposal for a peace agreement that, with land swaps, would give Palestinians land equal to 100% of the territory of the West Bank.
The land swap, previously exposed by the Israeli daily Haaretz, would have involved annexing land to the Gaza Strip in exchange for Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem and major West Bank settlements.
"I clarified that I refused to annex even one Israeli Arab citizen," Abbas was quoted as saying.
Abbas also said that he signed Egypt’s proposal for reconciliation with the Hamas movement over the objections of the US.
“I swore to God that I signed the reconcilliation proposal despite the 20 amendments and strong objection of many, including the Americans,” he said. The president blamed Iran and the Hamas leadership in exile in Damascus for holding back on a unity deal.
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