News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that the PA would not compromise on its demands for much of Jerusalem as the capital of a PA state.  “We will not compromise on a single grain of dirt in Jerusalem,” Abbas told listeners during a speech commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the Fatah terrorist group. 

The PA insists on control over all areas of Jerusalem that were conquered by Jordan in 1948 and retaken by Israel in 1967.  PA officials also insist that the areas be free of Jews before they are turned over to PA control, and say that Jewish construction in Jerusalem hurts the chances for a peace deal.