Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a TV interview with Israeli Channel 2, ‘it was our mistake, it was an Arab mistake as a whole, but do they (the Israelis) punish us for this mistake for 64 years?’

Abbas also contended that he and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were “very, very close” to reaching a peace agreement in 2008, before the Israeli leader left office under a cloud of corruption allegations.

Abbas (right) and Olmert

“It was a very good opportunity,” he said. “If he stayed two, three months, I believe that time we could have concluded an agreement.”
He confirmed Olmert’s account that the Israeli leader was prepared to withdraw from 93.5 percent of the West Bank. The Palestinians, Abbas added, responded by offering to let Israel retain 1.9 percent of the West Bank.

In his TV interview, Abbas acknowledged the Palestinians might not be able to muster the necessary nine votes in the 15-member Security Council to approve the statehood bid. But majority support would be a moot point, anyway, because the United States has threatened to veto the statehood petition.

Clashes with the Army of Occupation

Hundreds of Palestinians clashed on Friday (28.10) with the Israel’s army of occupation and other security forces in a number of locations in the West Bank.

Palestinians gathered next to Nabi Saleh, Ni’lin, Bil’in. Kedum and Beitunia, and some threw rocks at Israeli soldiers.