Sigh:
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has dismissed the documents released by Al Jazeera… that show… private offers by PA officials to Israelis on contested issues… than previously revealed as “a bunch of lies”.
In… an appearance on Al Jazeera shortly after the documents… were released on Sunday,… Erakat said the Palestinian leadership had “nothing to hide” and dismissed most of the report as lies.
He said that the information shown… contained mistakes and inaccuracies and… that his words were taken out of context and he was misquoted.
“I have always said that east Jerusalem is part of Palestine.
“No body has given up anything, I have shown Jerusalem Map on Al Jazeera… a year ago. The land exchange principle was discussed before,” Erakat said.
He said that all documents were shared in advance with the Arab league and several Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar.
“We have not gone back on our position. If we had given ground on the refugees and made such concessions, why hasn’t Israel agreed to sign a peace accord?” he asked.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, told Egyptian newspapers editors in Cairo that he kept the Arab League updated on all details of the negotiations with Israel, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
“I don’t know from where al Jazeera came with secret things.
“There is nothing we hide from our brothers, the Arabs,” Abbas said.
The chief Palestinian negotiator in the 2008 talks, Ahmed Qureia, told The Associated Press that “many parts of the documents were fabricated, as part of the incitement against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian leadership.”
Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas offcial in Gaza told Al Jazeera that the Palestinian authority officials should be ashamed of themselves.