Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a speech Saturday that the Palestinians would never recognize Israel as a Jewish state, Israel Hayom reports.
Abbas’ speech came ahead of a trip to Paris for the Arab League conference, where he will ask for support of the peace proposal framed by Secretary of State John Kerry.
The Palestinian leader added another two stipulations regarding a future peace agreement in his speech: There will be no deal unless east Jerusalem becomes the capital of a future Palestinian state and the right of return for Palestinian refugees is left in their own hands.
In a speech reminiscent of the 1967 Khartoum Resolution, in which the Arab League stated what is now known as the "three noes" -- no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it -- Abbas further stated that the Jordan Valley was an integral part of a Palestinian state.
Abbas made these statements despite the fact that the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are at a sensitive stage.