Abbas to discuss Netanyahu letter in Egypt

PA has expressed disappointment with Netanyahu's response, delivered to Abbas last weekend by envoy Yitzhak Molcho.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah 370 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah 370 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Egypt and other Arab countries in the coming days to brief their leaders on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s response to a letter he sent him last month.
The PA has expressed disappointment in Netanyahu’s response, which was delivered to Abbas by envoy Yitzhak Molcho last Saturday night.
PA officials in Ramallah have described the response as “vague,” adding that Netanyahu did not provide clear answers on major issues such as the settlements and the borders of a future Palestinian state.
In his letter to Netanyahu, Abbas demanded a full freeze of settlement construction and Israeli recognition of the pre-1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution. He also demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners, especially those who were imprisoned before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
Abbas will arrive in Cairo on Friday, where he is scheduled to hold talks on the subject with Mohamed Tantawi, the de facto ruler of Egypt.
Abbas will also visit Amman for talks with King Abdullah II, a PA official said, adding that the tour could also include Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
PLO executive committee member Wasel Abu Yusef said Abbas was planning on calling for a meeting of the Arab League to discuss the Israeli reply to his letter. Abu Yusef said that after the meeting Abbas will decide on the PA’s future steps “in wake of continued Israeli intransigence.”