Nabil Shaath, the foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority, said it clearly: "We do not see any solution for our Palestinian brethren in Lebanon other than the return to the homeland. The right to return is certain, and it is guaranteed both to the areas of the Palestinian state and to the Palestinian towns and villages within the state of Israel. Whether one wants to return to Haifa or to Shechem, he will be able to."
His words, spoken at a symposium in Beirut on Friday night, caused a stir in Israel. Even MKs Shimon Peres and Matan Vilnai of Labor objected. "Once again, the Palestinians are dealing with something that they will never attain," Peres said. It will be recalled that Peres promised the Knesset in the early days of Oslo that there would never be a Palestinian state.
Vilnai said, "The Palestinians had better realize that all the parties in Israel are united against the so-called right of return." Even Yossi Sarid of Meretz sounded off against Shaath's remarks, but conceded Yesha in the process: "The right of return can be only into the Palestinian state," he said.
Shaath himself realized that he had gone a bit too far in his public remarks, and on Saturday night made a slight about-face. Speaking in Damascus, he said that "hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees" have the right to return to the Palestinian state, but that the return to Israel will be a matter for negotiations.
Shaath backed up his words by quoting the Saudi initiative and the Road Map. The latter says nothing about refugees, but mentions the Saudi plan, which does.
Well-known journalist Dan Margalit wrote in Maariv on Sunday,
"We must thank Shaath. He helped Israel by revealing the secrets of his heart& He has strengthened the suspicion, that in any event was nesting in our hearts, that the Palestinians have no interest in solving the refugee problem outside the Stat of Israel." Margalit said that the refugee issue must therefore be negotiated before other more "solvable" issues.
His words, spoken at a symposium in Beirut on Friday night, caused a stir in Israel. Even MKs Shimon Peres and Matan Vilnai of Labor objected. "Once again, the Palestinians are dealing with something that they will never attain," Peres said. It will be recalled that Peres promised the Knesset in the early days of Oslo that there would never be a Palestinian state.
Vilnai said, "The Palestinians had better realize that all the parties in Israel are united against the so-called right of return." Even Yossi Sarid of Meretz sounded off against Shaath's remarks, but conceded Yesha in the process: "The right of return can be only into the Palestinian state," he said.
Shaath himself realized that he had gone a bit too far in his public remarks, and on Saturday night made a slight about-face. Speaking in Damascus, he said that "hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees" have the right to return to the Palestinian state, but that the return to Israel will be a matter for negotiations.
Shaath backed up his words by quoting the Saudi initiative and the Road Map. The latter says nothing about refugees, but mentions the Saudi plan, which does.
Well-known journalist Dan Margalit wrote in Maariv on Sunday,
"We must thank Shaath. He helped Israel by revealing the secrets of his heart& He has strengthened the suspicion, that in any event was nesting in our hearts, that the Palestinians have no interest in solving the refugee problem outside the Stat of Israel." Margalit said that the refugee issue must therefore be negotiated before other more "solvable" issues.