Is Abbas, who is considered a moderate by Israel, just trying to appease the more extreme factions or is he really serious? No way Israel will negotiate on those terms so what gives?
Is this re: right of return to areas that become Israel under a future peace agreement or ones that become Palestine? It could just be political posturing, both sides do that routinely to gain domestic points.
It’s a bargaining chip, so why should he give it away for free? Plus, many Palestinians feel they have a right to return to their old villages, even if they were born after their family left or fled.
Considering the number of Jews that fled or were expelled from Arab countries after 1948, I’d call it a push.
Nobody is going to be elected (or get enough supprt to spark a coup) if they deny right of return. It would be like running for POTUS without promising to cut taxes. The question is whether he really wants it, or whether it’s just going to be a sound bite. If the latter, it’s really no source of concern.
Concur. The odds of Abbas getting out of a negotiation with right of return are tiny, but since all that’s required to get in is to stop the terrorism and right of return is his biggest chip he seems to be playing it right at this point.
But it seems silly to me that he is rehashing one of Arafat’s biggest “pie in the sky” ideas that he blamed the failure of the 2000 talks on. Could he be pandering to the Palestinian street for the sole purpose of getting elected and then changing his tune once he’s elected, which isn’t a sure thing anyway.
I’m agreeing that this is mostly a bargaining chip. Note that Abbas doesn’t have all that much political support, so it’s unlikely that he’s going to want to publically look like he’s giving in to the Isrealis, at least not if he has any power at all. I suspect he’s more pragmatic than that.
I also suspect that most of the world leaders know it.
I’d say that it’s one part barganing chip, and one part “If I say otherwise, I piss off possible supporters”
The “Return of right” is a ridiculous idea, that will never ever happen, IMO.
For starters, why would certain people who just might get their very own state, choose to move in with their neighbors, whom they hate with a passion ?
I smell trojan horse.
Another vote for ‘playing politics’.
When you negotiate you have to start by asking for more than you think you’ll get. And when you’re a PA elected official, you have to cleave to the party line, at least with Hamas waiting in the wings.