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The Palestinians Never Meant to Make Peace with Israel

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Pinhas Inbari - The Oslo peace process with the Palestinians differed significantly from the two peace agreements that Israel signed with Jordan and Egypt. Egypt and Jordan sincerely wanted to make peace with Israel, seeking to improve their economies and their international status and to stabilize the common borders. Arafat's innovation was to make the "peace process" a tool for continuing the struggle, including the armed struggle. In his most recent address to the UN, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas set Israel's borders at the 1947 lines, essentially burying those of 1967. He had in mind the return of the Palestinian refugees to their original homes. It was believed by Israel and the West that the 1967 lines constituted the basis for the peace agreement. However, the Palestinians had a different objective, centered on realizing the right of return within Israel itself. A look at Arafat's statements makes clear that, from the start, he had no intention of making peace with Israel. In his conception, the Palestinian people would inherit Israel's legitimacy and replace Israel. His gaze was directed not at Jericho, Nablus, and Ramallah but at Jerusalem and Israel itself. Moreover, for Arafat, the conflict was not just national but also religious, with the Nakba seen as a blow to Islam.
2023-08-17 00:00:00
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