Abbas says OK to demilitarized Palestinian state
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said to Israeli peace activists that he would approve the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state, which his close associates saw as a message to Israel that Palestinians want peace.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli academics and intellectuals Aug. 28 at the presidential palace in Ramallah in the West Bank, where he made unfamiliar statements about accepting a demilitarized Palestinian state.
Israeli press cited Israeli figures that attended the meeting, confirming that Abbas said, “I support a state along the 1967 borders, without an army. I want an unarmed police force with batons, not guns.”
According to the Israeli media report, Abbas added, “Instead of military aircraft and tanks, I prefer building hospitals and schools and allocating money and resources to social organizations.”
Abbas reiterated this stance during his meeting with a delegation from the Israeli Peace Now Movement Sept. 2 and declared that he agrees to NATO forces’ presence to control the borders.
