Thu Nov 1, 2012, 06:04 PM

oberliner (22,139 posts)

Abbas hints has no "right of return" to home in Israel

(Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made a rare if symbolic concession to Israel on Thursday, saying he had no permanent claim on the town from which he was driven as a child during the 1948 war of the Jewish state's founding.

Among several disputes deadlocking Middle East peace talks has been the Palestinians' demand that as many as five million of their compatriots be granted the right to return to lands in Israel that they or their kin lost.

Israel rules this out, fearing an influx of Arabs that would eliminate its Jewish majority, and argues the refugees should resettle in a future Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories it occupied in the 1967 war.

Speaking to the top-rated Israeli television newscast, Abbas was asked whether he wanted to live in Safed, his boyhood town in the Galilee region of what had been British-ruled Palestine and is now northern Israel.

"I visited Safed before once. But I want to see Safed. It's my right to see it, but not to live there," Abbas told Channel 2, speaking in English from the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"Palestine now for me is '67 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is now and forever ... This is Palestine for me. I am (a) refugee, but I am living in Ramallah. I believe that (the) West Bank and Gaza is Palestine and the other parts (are) Israel."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/01/us-palestinians-israel-abbas-refugees-idUSBRE8A01IL20121101

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46 replies	Author	Time	Post
Abbas hints has no "right of return" to home in Israel (Original post)	oberliner	Nov 2012	OP
Thank you for posting this...	shaayecanaan	Nov 2012	#1
Abbas is already getting savaged for these remarks by the Electronic Intifada/Mondoweiss crowd	oberliner	Nov 2012	#2
I just checked mondoweiss and EI and no articles have been posted about it	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#3
Ali Abuminah: "Filthy Words"	oberliner	Nov 2012	#5
One person does not make a crowd	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#7
It's up now	oberliner	Nov 2012	#8
When you claimed there was a crowd yesterday, there was only one...	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#10
Its up now	King_David	Nov 2012	#12
It's not and hasn't been a crowd.	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#14
Nope ...	King_David	Nov 2012	#15
That's nice to know. Yr pretense I was bullying you was pretty ridiculous...	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#16
.	King_David	Nov 2012	#18
Just keep on repeating this: 'someone disagreeing with me does not equal bullying'	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#22
Another EI-er weighs in	oberliner	Nov 2012	#24
Amazing how the "cause " has been adopted	King_David	Nov 2012	#27
Asa is a "he"	oberliner	Nov 2012	#28
More from the crowd	oberliner	Nov 2012	#19
There was no 'crowd' and there probably still isn't...	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#21
The crowd rolls on	oberliner	Nov 2012	#25
One or two of the Richard Silverstein-ers are joining in the attacks on Abbas	oberliner	Nov 2012	#32
Yeah! Keep the refugees in apartheid camps for another 60 years!	shira	Nov 2012	#34
Another new article posted on EI about Abbas's comments (plus a cartoon from Carlos Latuff)	oberliner	Nov 2012	#39
Disgusting Cartoon by Latuff	King_David	Nov 2012	#40
Good catch	oberliner	Nov 2012	#41
Now a third article on this is up at Electronic Intifada	oberliner	Nov 2012	#42
'The vile self-hatred of Abbas '	King_David	Nov 2012	#13
Chomsky's been accused plenty of times of being a self-hating Jew n/t	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#17
Do you agree with Abunimah's characterization of Abbas?	oberliner	Nov 2012	#20
Abunimah prefers Hamas over Fatah. So do all his groupies. n/t	shira	Nov 2012	#35
He's pretty open about that	oberliner	Nov 2012	#37
Look what Elder of Ziyon has to say....	Violet_Crumble	Nov 2012	#23
Yes, that crowd will always believe that Abbas is full of it	oberliner	Nov 2012	#26
Called it...	shaayecanaan	Nov 2012	#29
Hasbardos!	oberliner	Nov 2012	#30
Hasbardos	King_David	Nov 2012	#31
I think it was coined by a Mondoweiss commenter named "Taxi"	oberliner	Nov 2012	#33
We just attend the same Lodge...	shaayecanaan	Nov 2012	#43
When has Abbas expressed this opinion on refugees to the Palestinian people?	shira	Nov 2012	#38
You called it? Abbas just said recently Palestinian Syrian refugees can drop dead....	shira	Jan 2013	#45
Interesting indeed	azurnoir	Nov 2012	#4
Fire up the brain cells!	oberliner	Nov 2012	#6
There has never, ever been a right to return	Mr. JJE	Nov 2012	#9
Hamas fiercely slams Abbas' anti-right of return statement	oberliner	Nov 2012	#11
A large segment of the anti-zionist Left supports Hamas WRT this issue	shira	Nov 2012	#36
Abbas moderating? He'd rather see refugees from Syria die than give up RoR....	shira	Jan 2013	#44
Oh yes, he's a moderate.	zellie	Jan 2013	#46

Response to oberliner (Original post)

Thu Nov 1, 2012, 09:16 PM

shaayecanaan (3,808 posts)

1. Thank you for posting this...

I suspect that quite a few people on your side of the fence are going to attempt some kind of seventh-dimension psychoanalysis in order to prove that he couldn't possibly mean what he said.

I do feel sorry for Abbas, notwithstanding all the criticisms that could be made for him. He really is between a rock and a hard place.

Abbas hints has no "right of return" to home in Israel

1. Thank you for posting this...

2. Abbas is already getting savaged for these remarks by the Electronic Intifada/Mondoweiss crowd

3. I just checked mondoweiss and EI and no articles have been posted about it

5. Ali Abuminah: "Filthy Words"

7. One person does not make a crowd

8. It's up now

10. When you claimed there was a crowd yesterday, there was only one...

12. Its up now

14. It's not and hasn't been a crowd.

15. Nope ...

16. That's nice to know. Yr pretense I was bullying you was pretty ridiculous...

18. .

22. Just keep on repeating this: 'someone disagreeing with me does not equal bullying'

24. Another EI-er weighs in

27. Amazing how the "cause " has been adopted

28. Asa is a "he"

19. More from the crowd

21. There was no 'crowd' and there probably still isn't...

25. The crowd rolls on

32. One or two of the Richard Silverstein-ers are joining in the attacks on Abbas

34. Yeah! Keep the refugees in apartheid camps for another 60 years!

39. Another new article posted on EI about Abbas's comments (plus a cartoon from Carlos Latuff)

40. Disgusting Cartoon by Latuff

41. Good catch

42. Now a third article on this is up at Electronic Intifada

13. 'The vile self-hatred of Abbas '

17. Chomsky's been accused plenty of times of being a self-hating Jew n/t

20. Do you agree with Abunimah's characterization of Abbas?

35. Abunimah prefers Hamas over Fatah. So do all his groupies. n/t

37. He's pretty open about that

23. Look what Elder of Ziyon has to say....

26. Yes, that crowd will always believe that Abbas is full of it

29. Called it...

30. Hasbardos!

31. Hasbardos

33. I think it was coined by a Mondoweiss commenter named "Taxi"

43. We just attend the same Lodge...

38. When has Abbas expressed this opinion on refugees to the Palestinian people?

45. You called it? Abbas just said recently Palestinian Syrian refugees can drop dead....

4. Interesting indeed

6. Fire up the brain cells!

9. There has never, ever been a right to return

11. Hamas fiercely slams Abbas' anti-right of return statement

36. A large segment of the anti-zionist Left supports Hamas WRT this issue

44. Abbas moderating? He'd rather see refugees from Syria die than give up RoR....

46. Oh yes, he's a moderate.