PLO's Hanan Ashrawi reacts to Kerry's speech, rejects Israel as a Jewish state, rejects Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Official PA TV program State of Politics, hosting PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi

PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi: "The six principles that [US Secretary of State John] Kerry presented are undeniable Zionist principles that serve Israeli interests. For example, he spoke about Jerusalem - a capital of two states. He didn’t say that East Jerusalem is occupied, but rather that Jerusalem is a capital of two states... Secondly, he said “a Jewish state,” giving them [Israel] a great prize. We have refused and still refuse to say that Israel is a Jewish state... Even on the issue of the refugees, he [Kerry] automatically denied them the right of return, and said that it is necessary to reach a just solution of compensation and resettling and the like. In other words, there is no right of return."
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The six principles presented by US Secretary of State John Kerry in his speech on Dec. 28, 2016, which criticized Israel and defended America’s abstention from UN Security Council Resolution 2334 condemning Israeli “settlements… including East Jerusalem,” were as follows:
- Secure borders between Israel and a contiguous Palestine to be negotiated based on the Green Line – the 1949-1967 ceasefire line
- Two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with mutual recognition and equal rights for all citizens
- A solution for Palestinian refugees including compensation and permanent homes
- Jerusalem becoming a divided capital of two states with access to holy sites according to status quo
- An end to the Israeli “occupation” while maintaining Israeli security needs
- A resolution of all outstanding claims by both sides to enable normalization between Israel and Arab states

Regarding whether or not East Jerusalem is “occupied” - while Kerry did not call it “occupied” when discussing his principle of dividing the city, earlier in the speech he said that “every US administration since 1967 – along with the entire international community – has recognized East Jerusalem as among the territories that Israel occupied in the Six Day War.”