Palestinian views on the peace process
Main article:
Palestinian views on the peace process
Palestinians have held diverse views and perceptions of the peace process. A key starting point for understanding these views is an awareness of the differing objectives sought by advocates of the Palestinian cause. '
New Historian' Israeli academic
Ilan Pappe says the cause of the conflict from a Palestinian point of view dates back to 1948 with the creation of
Israel (rather than Israel's views of 1967 being the crucial point and the return of occupied territories being central to peace negotiations), and that the conflict has been a fight to bring home
refugees to a
Palestinian state.
[3] Therefore, this for some was the ultimate aim of the peace process, and for groups such as
Hamas still is. However Slater says that this "maximalist" view of a destruction of Israel in order to regain Palestinian lands, a view held by
Arafat and the
PLO initially, has steadily moderated from the late 1960s onwards to a preparedness to negotiate and instead seek a two-state solution.
[4] The
Oslo Accords demonstrated the recognition of this acceptance by the then Palestinian leadership of the state of Israel's
right to exist in return for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the
Gaza Strip and
West Bank.
[5] However, there are recurrent themes prevalent throughout peace process negotiations including a feeling that Israel offers too little and a mistrust of its actions and motives.
[3][6] Yet, the demand for a
right of return by the Palestinian refugees to Israel has remained a cornerstone of the Palestinian view and has been repeatedly enunciated by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas who is leading the Palestinian peace effort.
[7]