Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) said today (Friday, October 15, 2010), in a meeting with leading Communist Party of Israel (CPI) members in Ramallah, he would not recognize Israel as a Jewish state, adding that he was also opposed to population exchanges as part of any permanent peace agreement. Abu Mazen add that he was also opposed to population exchanges as part of any permanent peace agreement.

During a meeting with heads of the CPI and the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (DFPE / Hadash) Abbas said, "Had we given up on our principles, we would have signed an agreement years ago."

 According to those who took part in the hour-long meeting, the Palestinian president said the direct talks with Benjamin Netanyahu have not progressed and that the Israeli prime minister is insisting on the continuation of construction in the West Bank's Jewish settlements. Abbas reiterated that he would not agree to resume negotiations as long as settlement construction continues.

 Abbas noted that the negotiations with Israel during former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's term did progress, and mentioned the Arab initiative as a key element of the peace process. "We won't budge from the Palestinian principles with regards to a final agreement," he said.

During the meeting, Abbas said that in 1993, following the Oslo accords, the Palestinians recognized the State of Israel. "We want Israel to recognize the state of Palestine within the 1967 borders," the Palestinian leader told the Hadash members.

Yasser Abed Rabo, secretary of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, as well as other PLO officials, also attended the meeting. He spoke of the "unacceptable demand" to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, adding that this demand was aimed at thwarting the implementation of the right of Palestinian refugees to return.

Hadash chairman and leading CPI member, Mohammad Barakeh told the meeting was held "in the shadow of racist laws, such as the amendment to the Citizenship Act and the demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, as well as the demand for population exchanges.

"We refuse to accept these developments and we will fight them," the Communist Knesset member said. "We came to Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority officials in order to hear a clear and official stance regarding the stalled negotiations, and we made it clear that we would not be a herd of sheep during the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," Barakeh said.

After the meeting Barakeh announced that tomorrow, Saturday night (Oct. 16) at 7 pm, a mass Jewish-Arab demonstration will be held in Tel Aviv under the banners "Together against racist laws" and "Against transfer and despair – marching for common hope!"

The demonstration has been called by the CPI and its partners in the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality. The initiative has been joined by other democratic organizations and parties, who have joined the call for public protest against the army and police's practical preparations for revoking the citizenship of Arab citizens and deporting them ("transfer"), against recent racist legislation and for the defense of democratic space in Israel. Among our partners in the rally are Meretz, Yesh Gvul, Gush Shalom, Fighters for Peace, the Negev Forum for Co-existence, Agenda, the Mizrachi Rainbow, the Women Democratic Movement in Israel (Tandi), the Communist Youth (Bank-Shabiba), Emil Touma Institute; and co-existence organizations such as Shutfut, the Abraham Foundation, Sikkui and others.