PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas
PA Chairman Mahmoud AbbasArutz Sheva: Flash 90

Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has come up with a new justification for the PA's unilateral attempt for recognition as a new country.

Abbas claims the PA's bid for United Nations membership was “forced” upon it by Israel.

“We are going to the United Nations because we are forced to – it is not a unilateral action,” Abbas claimed at a meeting organized to finalize PA strategy ahead of the UN General Assembly in September.

The gathering of top PA officials was held in Istanbul on Saturday and was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyid Erdogan.

“We have not been able to return to negotiations with [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu because of his refusal to negotiate on the 1967 borders and to stop settlement,” Abbas told the meeting.

The PA has refused to participate in talks unless Israel agrees to the precondition of a complete freeze to all Jewish construction in any area desired by the entity for its hoped-for new country. This includes the building of driveways to homes in 40-year-old Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, construction of badly-needed kindergartens or libraries in 30-year-old communities in Judea or Samaria, and even something as simple as building a sunroof over a front porch. 

“Our first, second and third choice is to return to negotiations,” Abbas claimed at a news conference with reporters. “Like the rest of the peoples of the world... we wish to be members of the General Assembly, members of the UN, no more, no less.”

Preparations for the upcoming UN meeting are expected to be completed at a meeting of the Arab monitoring committee in Doha, attended by Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, according to an anonymous Arab source who spoke with the AFP news agency.

The PA is determined to establish its hoped-for country on all lands won by Israel in the I967 Six Day War, including territory that was restored to the Jewish State after being occupied by Jordan after the 1948 War of Independence, including much of the capital, Jerusalem.