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The Clinton Parameters for a permanent settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, which were presented on December 23, 2000, state that:2 The solution [to the refugee problem] will have to be consistent with the two-state approachthe state of Palestine as the homeland of the Palestinian people and the state of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. Under the two-state solution, the guiding principle should be that the Palestinian state would be the focal point for Palestinians who choose to return to the area without ruling out that Israel will accept some of these refugees. I believe that we need to adopt a formulation on the right of return that will make clear that there is no specific right of return to Israel itself but that does not negate the aspiration of the Palestinian people to return to the area. In light of the above, I propose two alternatives: 1. Both sides recognize the right of Palestinian refugees to return to historic Palestine, or, 2. Both sides recognize the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland. The agreement will define the implementation of this general right in a way that is consistent with the two-state solution. It would list the five possible homes for the refugees: 1. The state of Palestine. 2. Areas in Israel being transferred to Palestine in the land swap. 3. Rehabilitation in host country. 4. Resettlement in third country. 5. Admission to Israel. In listing these options, the agreement will make clear that the return to the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and areas acquired in the land swap would be the right of all Palestinian refugees, while rehabilitation in host countries, resettlement in third countries and absorption into Israel will depend upon the policies of those countries. Israel could indicate in the agreement that it intends to establish a policy so that some of the refugees would be absorbed into Israel consistent with Israels sovereign decision. I believe that priority should be given to the refugee population in Lebanon. The parties would agree that this implements Resolution 194. Abbas position on the refugee issue is not consistent with the Clinton Parameters. Abbas in no way restricts the right of return to the state of Israel for the refugees and their descendants (now numbering five to seven million people according to the Palestinians), except according to the choice of the refugees themselves.
The Clinton Parameters, in contrast, explicitly state that the Palestinian refugees settlement in Israel would require a sovereign Israeli decision, and must accord with the principle that Palestine is the Palestinian homeland and Israel is the Jewish homeland. Abbas claim that the Palestinians have accepted the Clinton Parameters contradicts the position he presented on the implementation of the right of return, which shows that he and the Palestinian leadership adhere to the view that this right is personal and inalienable. In other words, it is a means to destroy Israel by altering the demographic balance and forcing the evacuation of millions of Jews so that Palestinians can be settled in their place. Abbas position does accord with the Right of Return Law that he signed in 2008, which states:3 The right of return is a natural, personal, collective, civil, political right passed on from father to son and is not annulled by the passage of time or by the signing of any agreement, and it cannot be abolished or waived in any way. The Palestinians have the right to sue the Zionist occupation and all who inflicted suffering on the Palestinian people and to demand compensation for the physical and emotional damages that were caused to them. The Palestinian refugees shall not be resettled or displaced as an alternative to the right of return. Anyone who violates the provisions of this Act will be considered guilty of the crime of treason and will be subject to all criminal and civil penalties prescribed for this crime. Abbas real attitude is evident from one of the concluding sentences of his speech to the Revolutionary Council: I swear to Allah, if you knew what pressures I have endured for the past three or four years you would take pity on me. I strive for the good of my homeland and I want nothing for myself. I am seventy-nine years old and I am not about to end my life with an act of treason. * * Notes 1. http://wafa.ps/arabic/index.php?action=detail&id=170086 2. http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/Peace%20Puzzle/10_Clinton%20Parameters.pdf *
3. http://www.jcpa.org.il/Templates/showpage.asp?FID=813&DBID=1&LNGID=2&TMID =99&IID=26093
About Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi is a senior researcher of the Middle East and radical Islam at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He is a co-founder of the Orient Research Group Ltd. and is a former advisor to the Policy Planning Division of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. - See more at: http://jcpa.org/mahmoud-abbas-really-accepted-clinton-parametersrefugee-problem/#sthash.9hRcn2GN.dpuf !