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Source: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=238639
Israeli Officials: Palestinian Recognition of Israel as Jewish State Seen as Critical
(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Israel has no intention of compromising on its demand that any future parameters for negotiations include Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, senior Israeli officials said Monday. Mideast Quartet envoys are meeting in New York to try and hammer out a formula for a return to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Israeli officials said Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people was critical not only because it would signal that descendants of Palestinian refugees would not return to Israel, but also because it would rule out any possible future irredentist claims by Israeli Arabs to link up with a future Palestinian state. Quartet envoy Tony Blair related to this issue in an ABC interview on Sunday: "What the Israelis want to know is - if there is an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis - that's it: That's the end of all claims and the essential character of the State of Israel is preserved."