The PA itself is not in favor of the Geneva agreement formulated by left-wing Israeli politicians and Yasser Abed Rabbo. PA chief Yasser Arafat said today that that the agreement does not reflect the PA's position.
According to PA senior official Fares Kadura, who took part in the negotiations, the agreement is provocative in nature. He said its only purpose was to cause internal squabbling in Israel. Kadura even denied any intention of recognizing Israel as the Jewish State.
Tourism Minister Benny Elon said that Yossi Beilin is "cooperating with the enemy" in his attempts to advance this agreement.
The agreement, to be signed in Geneva by left-wing Israeli politicians Yossi Beilin, Avraham Burg, Amram Mitzna and others, stipulates that 100,000 Jews will be evicted from their homes in Yesha; the Temple Mount and most of eastern Jerusalem will be given over to foreign control; and that two new Arab cities will be built on Israeli land. In exchange, the Arabs are to agree to allow Israel to limit Arab refugees to 30,000 and others who are eligible for "family reunification."
Senior Fatah official Hussein A-Sheikh also came out against the agreement today. He said that those who formulated the document did so "for reasons of publicity and in order to advance their personal interests, without taking into account the real needs of the two peoples." He also said that the "Palestinian public" would never agree to any concession on the so-called "right of return."
A Tel Aviv resident has filed charges with the police against Beilin and company for "interfering with a public servant's implementation of his duties." The resident said that Beilin, Burg, and Mitzna are interfering with Israel's elected leaders from carrying out their chosen policy vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority. It should be noted that in the United States, the Logan Act of 1799 stipulates that a U.S. citizen who "without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries out any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or any agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or any official or agent thereof, in relations to any disputes or controversies with the United States" is liable to a fine of $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to three years.