Abbas to propose new diplomatic initiative to PLO and Fatah on Tuesday

At the meeting, Abbas will seek the backing of PLO and Fatah leaders for his initiative, which calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as it capital.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas talks during a news conference in Egypt (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas talks during a news conference in Egypt
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to chair a meeting of Palestinian leaders in Ramallah on Tuesday to discuss his intention to propose a diplomatic initiative to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
At the meeting, scheduled for 7.pm, Abbas will seek the backing of PLO and Fatah leaders for his initiative, which calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as it capital along the pre-1967 lines.
Palestinian officials in Ramallah said that Abbas’s initiative has won the backing of Arab and European countries, in addition to Russia. The initiative envisages placing the borders of the future Palestinian state under the control of a third party, they added.
Abbas told an Egyptian TV station last weekend that he would present his “unconventional solution” to US Secretary of State John Kerry during their next meeting. It’s not clear yet when the two are scheduled to meet.
If the US rejects Abbas’s initiative, the officials said, he would ask the UN Security Council to issue a resolution calling for an end to “occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
The Palestinian leaders are also scheduled to discuss the possibility of dismantling the PA if the US tries to torpedo Abbas’s move at the UN Security Council.
Apart from PLO and Fatah leaders, Abbas might invite Hamas representatives in the West Bank to attend the meeting in Ramallah, the officials said.