Mahmoud Abbas
Photo: EPA
Abbas: 'No way' for recognition of Israel as Jewish state
PA President adamantly refuses to acknowledge Israel's core request, says he stood up against US pressure in past and can do so again.
The Palestinian president says there's "no way" he'll recognize Israel as a Jewish state and accept just a portion of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
Palestinians fear the two demands will be key elements of a US peace proposal.
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Mahmoud Abbas says in comments published Friday by the official WAFA news agency that he withstood US pressure when he sought UN recognition for a state of Palestine and suggested he could do so again.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is to present ideas for the contours of a deal to Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Gaps between the sides remain wide after seven months of Kerry's mediation, and a framework by an April 29 deadline appears elusive.
