Abbas calls Israel “the ’48 territories”
Abbas addressing members of the PLO Central Council, opening session of the Council's 24th gathering:
"I think that our position concerning the '48 territories (i.e., Israel) and our people in the '48 [territories] is clear. We have said, and we say, that we shall not agree under any circumstances for a single Palestinian from the '48 [territories – i.e., any Israeli Arab] to be attached to the Palestinian Authority [in a peace agreement]. These words may arouse controversy, but we shall not agree to it and shall not allow it under any circumstances. Once, [Israeli Arab MP] Muhammad Barakeh came to me before [the publicity given to the 'Palestine Papers' on] Al-Jazeera, and we said that this is our position, and that we will not agree to it and will not allow it, because of many reasons, which we do not wish to talk about. ”
"I think that our position concerning the '48 territories (i.e., Israel) and our people in the '48 [territories] is clear. We have said, and we say, that we shall not agree under any circumstances for a single Palestinian from the '48 [territories – i.e., any Israeli Arab] to be attached to the Palestinian Authority [in a peace agreement]. These words may arouse controversy, but we shall not agree to it and shall not allow it under any circumstances. Once, [Israeli Arab MP] Muhammad Barakeh came to me before [the publicity given to the 'Palestine Papers' on] Al-Jazeera, and we said that this is our position, and that we will not agree to it and will not allow it, because of many reasons, which we do not wish to talk about. ”