Abbas: Jordan Valley vital to Palestinian interests

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Abbas: Jordan Valley vital to Palestinian interests

Published Tuesday 12/06/2012 (updated) 13/06/2012 19:31

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that Israel's claims in the Jordan Valley were based on economic interests, not security concerns.

Abbas said the Jordan Valley is of industrial, agricultural and touristic importance to the Palestinian Authority, and the government will not accept any meter less than its 37 kilometers along the Dead Sea.

Speaking at an event to inaugurate a Jericho development project, Abbas said at his headquarters in Ramallah that the Palestinian Authority hopes to promote tourism and agriculture in the area.

Abbas said Israel's fear that Iran might "sneak in" through the Palestinian borders is a "ridiculous" claim used to justify seizing more land.

Israel last month began clearing landmines from a site in the Hemdat settlement in the northern Jordan Valley which it hopes to turn into agricultural land, Israeli media reported at the time.

The area on the eastern side of the West Bank is considered Palestinian land under international law, but Israel's leadership views the area as an important security barrier.

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will maintain a security force in the Jordan Valley under any peace agreement.

1 ) Yehuda Solomon / Israel

12/06/2012 18:04

First, we sure as hell DO have security concerns in the Jordan Valley. Abbas is probably right when he says it's ridiculous to pin those in a major way on Iran but aside from that there ARE definite security concerns about Palestinian terrorists infiltrating from Jordan/Palestine despite Jordan/Palestine's internal security and our peace treaty with J/P. If we hope to develop the Jordan Valley for economic/agricultural reasons ... THEN SO BE IT. The greater point is no matter (cont.)

2 ) Yehuda Solomon / Israel

12/06/2012 18:08

whether we maintain a security force there or not, there's never going to BE a (second) Palestinian nation west of the Jordan River, anyhow.

3 ) Brian Cohen / Israel

12/06/2012 18:17

If it's so important, then get off your kiester and get back to peace talks!

4 ) MATT / USA

12/06/2012 18:23

The palestinians were used as pawns in all the wars. In the end the arbas lost and israel won. If there is a grievance, abbas should go beg to jordan or egypt. they were the ones that caused the war, and lost the war, which screwed over the palestian arabs.

5 ) Jorda is the NATIONAL RIVER O| / of the

12/06/2012 20:26

PROUD PALESTINIAN PEOPLE IT has been that way for THOUSANDS OF YEARS!

6 ) Tibi / Tubas

12/06/2012 20:52

- The PA government may not accept any meter LESS than 37 KILOMETERS
along the Dead Sea, BUT
- The Israeli government may not accept any meter MORE than 37 METERS,
along the Allenby Bridge, AND
- until the two sides reach an agreement, "Palestine" will remain as it is today, little more than a fantasy, in nemerous isolated cantons, that must continue begging for ever dwindling international donations !!!!

7 ) Reality / Calling

12/06/2012 21:05

Abbas can say that the "Jordan Valley (in Israel-controlled Area C) is vital to Palestinian interests", and Israel can say that the "Jordan Valley, in the State of Jordan, is vital to Israeli interests", BUT:
1- Israel will continue to ignore the PA's claims of "vital interests",
in territory that was NEVER Part of a Palestinian state, just like
2- Jordan would ignore the Israel's claims of "vital interests",
in territory that WAS only part of a Biblical Jewish state !!!

8 ) Invite Abbas To Discuss / Vital Interests

12/06/2012 21:11

The Israeli PM should publicly invite Abbas, Erekat, Haniyeh, Mashaal, and all major world medias, to Peace talks in Jerusalem, on a fixed schedule, say for example the 1st Tuesday of every month at 12 PM, and when Abbas, et.al. don't show, the Medias can report on that !!
And, every 1st Tuesday, the Israeli PM's statement should be, "I regret
that Abbas, et.al. declined to discuss peace at the time & place I chose, and
I welcome their proposal of a time & place for peace talks" !!!

9 ) southparkbear / usa

12/06/2012 22:05

this is funny. if so why not go back to jordan?

10 ) mohamed / somalia

12/06/2012 22:26

you guys until you denied the palestinian right from jordan river to the mediterranean sea you will never get peace and tranquility forever.

11 ) some one / some where

12/06/2012 23:20

1 ) Yehuda
who get in whene sharon left gaza? what those people think is redicul
iran and terrorist will be in west bank less than a month
president has fault information from those corrupted leader if he is not corropted

12 ) Tobias / USA

13/06/2012 03:57

1- Abbas says that the 1967 Borders, the Jordan Valley, an East Jerusalem capital, and refugee return rights are all "vital to Palestinian interests". 2- Israel says that whether they are "vital" as Abbas says, or NOT, "ALL of these issues must be negotiated", and, also that 3- Israel will NOT again freeze settlement construction, while the Abbas government continues refusing to negotiate, which 4- Abbas can NOT accept, so 5- THE PEACE PROCESS IS DEAD & beyond totally repair !!!!!

13 ) Colin Wright / USA

13/06/2012 07:17

Posters 1-4 tell each other all the usual lies, and by singing in chorus, create a fantasy that it is truth. Reality doesn't work that way. They are all still lies.

14 ) NO CONSIDERATION / AT ALL

13/06/2012 16:05

1- Israel will give NO more consideration to Abbas' claim, that
the "Jordan Valley is vital to Palestinian interests", than
2- Abbas will give consideration to Israeli claims, that
Jordan becoming the Palestinian state is vital to Israel's interests,
which will receive NO Abbas CONSIDERATION AT ALL ever !!!

15 ) EE / UK

13/06/2012 16:16

There are a lot of valleys in Jordan. Jordan is actually palestinian homeland country, the majority of population in Jordan are palestininans.

16 ) outlier / USA

13/06/2012 18:25

Poor Abbas. Talk is cheap and he is one of the reasons. Action, like peace negotiations with the Israelis, would be better.

17 ) A Great / Photo of

13/06/2012 18:38

Abbas raising his hand for permission to go to the bathroom.

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