Abbas: We Will Never Recognize Israel as a Jewish State

Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, announced that Palestinians will never accept the condition of recognizing Israel as a state for the Jews. According to Palestinian and Arab media reports, Mr. Abbas made these remarks on Tuesday, June 16, ahead of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Mahmoud Abbas emphasized that France must set a specific timeframe for negotiations and a limited time for implementing each necessary step towards peace in its efforts for Palestinian independence. The leader of the Palestinian Authority also stressed that the resumption of political negotiations with Israel is only possible if Israel halts construction in Palestinian territories. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that any peace plan must be based on recognizing Israel as the 'Jewish homeland.' France has announced that it has prepared a plan asking Israel to end the 'occupation' of the occupied territories to pave the way for Palestinian independence. Reports indicate that Laurent Fabius is set to visit the region in the coming days to present the draft French plan to both Palestinian and Israeli sides and to explore the possibility of resuming the Middle East peace process. The French plan recommends ensuring Israel's security and Palestinian independence based on the 1967 borders. France has stated that it will advance its plan through the Security Council; the Arab League has already welcomed this plan, and a group of Arab countries and the Non-Aligned Movement have expressed their support for this plan at the United Nations. Recently, Barack Obama, the President of the United States, stated that when there is no prospect for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, it is not easy for Washington to continue supporting Israel in the Security Council and international bodies. The last round of Israeli-Palestinian political talks took place years ago. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that Mahmoud Abbas has not been willing to meet with him over the years. At the same time, Mahmoud Abbas stated on Tuesday that the halt in negotiations has 'dangerous' consequences; he blamed Israel for this stagnation and said that U.S. efforts to revive the peace process have failed due to Israel's hardline positions. Concurrently, Mahmoud Abbas announced that the Palestinian Authority government will announce its resignation on Wednesday. According to Palestinian media reports, Mr. Abbas will once again appoint Dr. Rami Hamdallah to form a new government. Mahmoud Abbas stated that the goal of the government change is to form an inclusive cabinet that strengthens national unity and reconciliation between the Fatah and Hamas movements, especially for the administration of the Gaza Strip. However, Hamas leaders have not expressed readiness to participate in the new government. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, stated on Wednesday, June 17, that any changes in the ministries of the Palestinian government must be agreed upon by Hamas. About 14 months ago, Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement to form a national unity government, but Fatah claims that Hamas has deprived Fatah of practical participation in the administration of the Gaza Strip and has maintained unilateral control over Gaza as it has for the past eight years.