Abbas rejects amendments to Arab peace plan on Israel, Palestinians
The Arab League Summit comes at a crucial time for Abbas, who is slated to meet US President Donald Trump in the coming weeks.
By ADAM RASGONUpdated: MARCH 29, 2017 16:46Hopes for peace plan at Arab League Summit , with Abbas in attendance , on March 29, 2017 (REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the idea of amending the Arab Peace Initiative on Wednesday, speaking before the 28th Arab League Summit in Jordan on Wednesday.“We reaffirm that it is not worthwhile in terms of peace and justice for some to talk about…manipulating the essence of the Arab Peace Initiative,” Abbas said in a speech at the summit. “We want it to be implemented as it was [first approved] in 2002, without amendments.”The Arab League first approved the Arab Peace Initiative in Beirut in 2002. The Arab Peace Initiative calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state along pre-1967 borders, an end to all claims, and a “just and agreed upon” resolution to the refugee issues. In the final year of former US President Barack Obama’s administration, former US Secretary of State John Kerry, Jordanian King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Aqaba to discuss a regional solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would include a number of amendments to the Arab Peace Initiative.According to Haaretz, the parties discussed a final agreement that would include recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and changes to the pre-1967 border through land swaps.