Abbas says PLO will not recognize pre-1967 borders unless Israel withdraws
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, amid declining popularity, gave Israel one year to withdraw from the occupied territories along the 1967 border, but appears to intensify meetings with Israelis in a bid to move the peace process forward.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Authority (PA) is going through a challenging period amid a decline in its popularity for several reasons, notably the postponement of the general elections, the killing of government critic Nizar Banat and the attack on freedoms.
As part of efforts to restore its image, the PA has been trying to attract the world and local attention once again, as was the case with President Mahmoud Abbas’ virtual address to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 24, in which he gave Israel one year to withdraw from the Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967.
A huge media campaign preceded the speech promoting it as a pivotal address with great significance. But the speech seemed general and vague, despite the threat for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories.
Abbas said the PLO will no longer recognize Israel based on the pre-1967 borders if it does not withdraw from Palestinian territories within a year, threatening to return to UN Security Council Resolution 181 related to the partition of Palestine, and adopting the one-state solution in light of the failure to the two-state solution.
