Palestinian Official Rejects Kerry Peace Plan

[shira]

YERUSHALAYIM - Israel was not alone in criticizing Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech on Wednesday. PLO Executive Committee member Mustafa Barghouti issued a three-point rejection of Kerry’s six-point peace plan, indicating how far from compromise the Palestinian leadership remains on the core issues. Although Barghouti, unlike Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, accepted Kerry’s focus on “settlements” as the crux of the problem, he said that “the concluding principles were not something we could agree with.”

“First, you cannot make the issue of Palestinian refugees only an issue of compensation.” He also insisted on the claimed “right of return,” something which Israeli leaders have agreed to only in token numbers at most.

“Second, recognition of Israel as a Jewish state would deny the right of the Palestinian people who are citizens of Israel and that is totally unacceptable. Israel cannot be Jewish and democratic at the same time,” Barghouti said. Netanyahu reiterated after Kerry’s speech that recognition of the Jewish state by the Palestinians was more fundamental to a permanent settlement than the issue of borders.

“Third, his formula about Jerusalem is absolutely something that the Palestinians cannot accept. It must be clear that Jerusalem is east Jerusalem according to 1967 lines. East Jerusalem should be the capital of Palestine. How can it be a capital of two states,” Barghouti concluded, saying that compromises to the 1967 borders cannot be tolerated.

more...
http://hamodia.com/2016/12/28/palestinian-official-rejects-kerry-peace-plan/

PLO official: Overall message of Kerry speech welcome, but parameters unacceptable

PLO Executive Committee member Mustafa Barghouti welcomed the overall message of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech on Wednesday, but he said the Palestinian leadership cannot accept the top US diplomat’s suggested parameters.

“All in all, I think that the speech was very impressive in making very clear the diagnosis of the situation and in making it very clear that Israel has one choice... either a one-state or a two-state solution,” Barghouti told The Jerusalem Post, before qualifying that, “The concluding principles were not something we could agree with.”

http://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=476792

[HoneyBadger]

1. That was quick

So at this point, the resolution is only acceptable to the UN.

[shira]

3. The Palestinians rejected Kerry's plan back in 2014. Israel accepted...

Israel to Accept, Palestinians Reject Kerry Peace Plan
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/24409/Default.aspx

Regional media reports over the weekend indicated that Israel is set to accept US Secretary of State John Kerry's framework proposal for reaching a final status peace agreement, while the Palestinians are looking to stall or outright reject the plan.

Israel's Channel 2 News reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman are all prepared to sign off on a non-binding version of the proposals, which, among other things, recommends:

The division of Jerusalem, though without going into specifics;
A gradual Israeli withdrawal from most of the "West Bank," while retaining control over large Jewish settlement blocs;
A limited land swap to compensate the Palestinians for the settlement blocs;
Recognition of Israel as a "Jewish state"; and
Compensation for so-called "Palestinian refugees," but no "right of return" to Israel-proper.

Israel's Ma'ariv newspaper last week quoted senior Palestinian Authority official Yasser Abed Rabbo as rejecting the American proposal as "Israeli ideas."

Also this...

Kerry’s framework unacceptable to Abbas, says official
http://www.timesofisrael.com/kerrys-framework-unacceptable-to-abbas-says-official/

[COLGATE4]

2. The Palestinians never miss an opportunity

to miss an opportunity.

[oberliner]

5. He never says otherwise

Good example of reading/seeing something that isn't there.

[oberliner]

7. I thought you read the whole transcript of his speech?

Maybe read it again more closely?

[oberliner]

9. Do you need a link to the speech?

I'm not understanding why you are asking this question repeatedly if you have access to the transcript.