PLO Official Offers Trade: Recognition of Israel as ‘Jewish State’ for 1967 Borders

We'll Call Israel Whatever They Want, Official Insists

Long-standing Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) official Yasser Abed Rabbo today said the group would be willing to recognize Israel as a “Jewish State” or indeed as whatever it wants provided they are presented with a map of the future Palestinian state that includes all territory seized by Israel in their 1967 invasion.

A map of Israel based on its 1967 borders and not including the occupied territories or occupied East Jerusalem would, according to Rabbo, mean “we will be willing to recognize Israel according to the formulation of the government within the hour.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had previously rejected the Israeli offer to trade the recognition for a 60 day partial freeze in expansion of settlements into the West Bank, but it seems the recognition is possible, albeit at a price Israel is unlikely to pay.

“Any formulation the Americans present – even asking us to cal lsrael the “Chinese State” – we will agree to it as long as we receive the 1967 borders,” insisted Rabbo.

Yet the offer points to what is likely the unspoken reality, that both sides have given up on the latest round of talks and are now just making offers “meant to be rejected” so they can blame the other side for the failure. Still if both sides keep trying to trump the other with elaborate offers they might just stumble into agreement somewhere down the road.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.