Palestinian officials have said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to ask the UN to set a timetable for the end of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, with its capital in East Jerusalem. The official told the Associated Press that Abbas would present his proposal as part of a day after plan following the end of the current war in the Gaza Strip. According to the Qatari News Agency, an agreement over the matter was reached in Abbas meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal, in Doha on Friday. Haaretz reported earlier Sunday that Abbas is planning to announce a major diplomatic initiative this week, which sources in Ramallah say will entail asking the world powers and United Nations — including the International Criminal Court — to take responsibility for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abbas was speaking to Egypt’s Sada El Balad television station after meeting with President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi on Saturday. Abbas said he would present his proposal to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who will be visiting the region this week or next. Abbas said he would insist on the initiative, even though the U.S. administration would not like it. Abbas has not been in a hurry to take this route despite pressure from Palestinian splinter groups. He said he had broad support in the Arab world and that over the next few days he would discuss the issue with other Palestinian leaders. Abbas’ associates are not giving details on the plan but say the Palestinian leaders will meet Tuesday to hear about Abbas’ meetings over the weekend in Qatar and Egypt. “We’re working on two levels that do not collide — the political and the internal,” a source close to Abbas told Haaretz. Domestically, Abbas can suggest a new election or cooperation among the Palestinian groups until the election. This could win the groups’ support by reviving the Palestine Liberation Organization and bringing in Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Abbas might also ask the Palestinian leadership to choose a successor. Last week Yasser Abed Rabbo, a key member of the PLO Executive Committee, said the model for negotiations under the sponsorship of one country was finished. He said the era of Kerry’s shuttle diplomacy had ended. Abed Rabbo added that the international community had to take responsibility for what was happening in the territories, restrain Israel and end the occupation.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 22:00:39 +0000