To the Editor:
Re "In second meeting with Jewish leaders, Abbas broaches substance": It is very difficult to keep track of the deceptions and obscurantism engaged in by the Palestinian leadership. While Abbas may have said something about “recognizing a Jewish historical presence in the land of Israel” — even confirming that when challenged by other Palestinians — his prime minister then refused to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people. So where we?
Jewish leaders meeting with Abbas and/or Prime Minister Fayyad must demand a clear, unambiguous public statement that the Jewish people have a legitimate historical claim to some/any of the land between the river and the sea. This statement also must be made in Arabic in the Palestinian public arena to have real meaning.
Yoram Getzler
Jerusalem
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