PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) interviewed in English with Israel Channel 2 News, an interview that is being perceived as “a blatant attempt to interfere in Israeli elections and boost the left-wing” by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Homefront Minister Avi Dichter.

Regardless of one’s political hashkafa, what cannot be ignored is the PA leader’s two-faced approach, not a new reality but a dangerous one, as was highlighted by YWN-ISRAEL last month regarding the PA leader’s Facebook page.

During a brief English interview aired in Israel, sending a message to the United States as well, the PA leader spoke of a willingness to back down from the so-called “right of return for Palestinian refugees” and the established of a Palestinian state in areas of Yehuda and Shomron while recognizing Israel in pre-1967 boundaries. “Palestine for me is the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital, this is Palestine, I am a refugee, I live in Ramallah, the West Bank and Gaza is Palestine, everything else is Israel” he stated.

Abu Mazen also labeled himself “a refugee from Tzfas”, adding that while one day he may visit, there are no plans to return to the city as a resident. He promises that for as long as he is the PA leader there will not be a third intifada.

Abu Mazen said all the right things, vowing never to return to terrorism and continuing in the future via diplomatic means.

While this sounds encouraging to some, leading to attacks against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his administration for not doing enough to advance the diplomatic process with Abu Mazen, but then came the Arabic language interview for the Egyptian media.

Responding to the English interview was Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who is quoted as saying “no one has the right to make concessions” regarding the right of return, adding “Yasser Arafat was never willing to compromise on this point so he is compelled to follow that line.

Speaking to Israel Radio on Sunday 19 Cheshvan 5773 was Minister Dichter, who recently left the Kadima Party and moved to Likud, also a former director of the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet). Dichter stated that undoubtedly the English interview was an effort to boost Israel’s political left-wing ahead of the election and represents blatant interference in the local elections, in line with remarks from the head of the Yisrael Beitenu Party, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Dichter explained the “Arabic interview was exactly the opposite of the English”, in which he stated he will never back down from the right of return.

More serious is Dichter’s assessment, warning of Abu Mazen’s waning control. He points out that negotiating a deal with him may leave Israel is a bad position since he lacks the power to actualize an agreement among his residents since he has lost the popular support he once enjoyed.

When asked about the two-state solution, Dichter stated the two-state solution that is becoming reality is one state in Yehuda and Shomron headed by Abu Mazen and another in Gaza headed by Hamas. He points out that Egypt is clearly uninterested in taking control of Gaza and Abu Mazen cannot, so in actuality there will be three states in the region and this Israeli cannot permit.

At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, 19 Cheshvan 5773, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commented on Abu Mazen’s interview.

“I watched President Abbas’ interview over the weekend. I have heard that he has already managed to go back on his remarks. This only proves the importance of direct negotiations without pre-conditions. Only in direct negotiations will it be possible to clarify what the true positions are. Generally, I can say that if Abu Mazen is really serious and intends to advance peace, as far as I am concerned, we can sit together immediately. Jerusalem and Ramallah are only seven minutes apart; I am ready to start negotiations today. I will take this opportunity to again call on President Abbas to return to the negotiating table without pre-conditions because peace may be advanced only around the negotiating table and not via unilateral decisions in the UN General Assembly, which will only push peace further away and will only lead to instability.

“I would like to address an issue that has accompanied us for years. If you remember six months ago it was in the top headlines. I mean the question of infiltrators. October’s data shows that only 54 infiltrators crossed the border last month and they were all – without exception – placed in detention. This means that none of them reached Israel’s cities. I remind you that only six months ago over 1,000 infiltrators were entering every month and this number was increasing. On the basis of these figures, one may explicitly say that we have blocked infiltration and now we must focus – and we are doing so – on repatriating the infiltrators who are already in Israel.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)