(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - The Palestinians will continue to demand the right of return for millions of refugees to their original homes inside Israel even after the UN recognizes a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, lines, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday. Acknowledging that the situation on the ground would not change for the Palestinians when and if a Palestinian state is declared, the PA president explained: "First, there will be a state under occupation. The Israelis these days deal with us on the basis that we are not a state and that the Palestinian lands are disputed territories. But when the recognition of our state on the 1967 borders happens, we will become a state under occupation, and then we would be able to go to the UN [with demands]. We will remain under occupation, but our legal status will change." Abbas said he was strongly opposed to an armed intifada against Israel.
2011-08-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive