Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas proposed canceling the Oslo Accords with Israel at a recent meeting of the Palestinian leadership, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) told AFP yesterday.
PLO Executive Committee member Wassel Abu Yusef said Abbas raised the idea of “canceling the Oslo agreement as well as the associated economic and security arrangements,” at the meeting on Saturday and Sunday.
Abu Yusef said that “members of the Palestinian leadership had mixed opinions on the issue, and it was decided to postpone any decision until their next meeting,” due to be held after Abbas’s return from the UN General Assembly later this month.
“It was the first time the Palestinian leadership put the issue of the Oslo agreement on the table since it was signed in 1993,” Abu Yusef added.
His remarks came as a leaked video showed that Mitt Romney told donors the Palestinians “have no interest whatsoever” in peace with Israel and if elected president he would just kick the issue down the road.
The video, taken at the same closed-door fundraiser in Florida in May, have knocked raised fresh questions about whether Romney can come from behind in the polls and win the White House in November.
On the West Bank, Palestinians said Romney was wrong to accuse them of not seeking peace.
“No one stands to gain more from peace with Israel than Palestinians and no one stands to lose more in the absence of peace than Palestinians,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters.
“Only those who want to maintain the Israeli occupation will claim the Palestinians are not interested in peace.”
Obama’s campaign pounced to criticize the video, but White House spokesman Jay Carney said he was uncertain if the president had seen it.