Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that while the PLO has built a new office in Ramallah, north of Jerusalem, it does not plan to stay in the city. Ultimately, the PLO will return to Jerusalem, he said.
His remarks were made during a ceremony opening the new Ramallah headquarters.
Abbas recalled a visit to PLO headquarters in Jerusalem prior to the Six Day War of 1967 in which the city was reunited. The PLO had centers in Judea and Samaria during the 19-year period in which the region was under Jordanian occupation, from which it launched frequent terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.
The PA Chairman joined PA negotiator Saeb Erekat in condemning Israel for passing the Referendum Law, which will allow Israelis to vote on whether or not to cede land in Jerusalem or the Golan for the sake of a peace treaty. “This step puts obstacles in the way of the political process,” he said.
The PA claims all land east of the 1949 armistice line, including much of Jerusalem, as part of a future Arab state.
Israeli activists in Jerusalem have charged that the PA is attempting a de facto annexation of parts of Israel's capital city. The PA has claimed credit for paving roads and planting trees in Arab neighborhoods, and recently reported that it had invested two million shekels in Arab schools.