Abbas: "We are committed to the wording of Oslo"
President Mahmoud Abbas interviewed by Maan News Agency:
"In response to a question about Israel's insistence on demanding that he [Abbas] recognize the Jewishness of the state [of Israel], he said: 'If they want to call it the Great Jewish Zionist Empire of Israel, let them call themselves that. Why are they asking what we think about it? We are committed to the wording of the Oslo document, and that's something that is clear; it speaks about the PLO's recognition of Israel's right to exist in return for Israel's recognition of the PLO as the legitimate, sole representative of the Palestinian people. So let them call themselves whatever they like; what business is it of mine?"
"In response to a question about Israel's insistence on demanding that he [Abbas] recognize the Jewishness of the state [of Israel], he said: 'If they want to call it the Great Jewish Zionist Empire of Israel, let them call themselves that. Why are they asking what we think about it? We are committed to the wording of the Oslo document, and that's something that is clear; it speaks about the PLO's recognition of Israel's right to exist in return for Israel's recognition of the PLO as the legitimate, sole representative of the Palestinian people. So let them call themselves whatever they like; what business is it of mine?"