Fatah claims Arab states willing to recognise Israel as a Jewish state

Several Arab countries are willing to recognise Israel as a Jewish state if the Palestinian Authority agrees to the Israeli demand for Jewish recognition, Ziad Abu Ein, a member of Al-Fatah Revolutionary Council, revealed on Thursday.

“The Americans tested the Arab states’ position, and they indicated that they are willing to recognise Israel as a Jewish state if the Palestinians agree to the condition,” he said.

Abu Ein pointed out that the Arab states merely want to evade being pressured by the Americans, thus abandoning their responsibilities towards the Palestinian cause and instead deferring to the US effort to broker an agreement, leaving the Palestinians isolated in the face of US pressure. He noted that, “We wish of all the Arab states support Palestinian principles and do not allow Israeli demands to thwart the Palestinian struggle.”

Al-Quds newspaper quoted Abu Ein as saying that neither the Palestinian Authority nor the movement had accepted recognising Israel’s Jewish identity as part of the settlement process between the Palestinians and Israel under US auspices.

Abu Ein stressed that the only way to achieve peace is by “establishing a Palestinian state on the borders of June 1967 with its capital in East Jerusalem and ensuring the right of refugees to return to their homes in accordance with international resolutions.”

He also warned that recognising Israel as a Jewish state harms the Palestinians’ national struggle and the sacrifice of tens of thousands of martyrs to realize their ambitions. “Recognising Israel’s Jewish identity deprives the Palestinians of their historic rights and jeopardises the fate of the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Israel,” he concluded.