Palestinian chief negotiator Erekat denies apologizing to Israelis in left-wing peace ad

A chagrined Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat released a statement Thursday alleging that his video appeal to Israelis admitting that "we have disappointed you and asking to be their "peace partner" was altered, according to a Palestinian news agency Ma'an report. "Unfortunately, my statements were altered and interpreted as if I were apologizing to the Israeli nation. This is the opposite to what I said. I was speaking as a negotiator and I meant that, as Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, we hand been unable to come up with a solution after many years," Erekat said about the video promoting the Geneva Initiative.

He continued, "I never intended to apologize to the Israeli nation, they are the ones who should apologize for what they have done to the Palestinians and all the actions that have humiliated our nation. Palestinians are the nation who deserve an apology." On Wednesday Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad decided to remove his pictures from the campaign website, explaining that his permission had not been asked to use them. Director-General of the Palestinian Geneva Initiative Nidal Foqaha told the Ma'an agency that "the video was intended to create a consensus with the Israeli public and then mobilize the leadership and create a real peace partner."

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Tags: Erekat, Geneva Initiative, PA, Palestinians, left wing propaganda

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Comment by Mark Storm on September 11, 2010 at 10:22pm: [Erakat] "...Israel...should apologize for what they have done to the Palestinians and all the actions that have humiliated our nation. Palestinians are the nation who deserve an apology."

Israel should apologize?!?!?!

Israel should apologize for having to spend exorbitant sums to Palestinian and Turkish landlords just to buy sand dunes and swamps... of their own ancestral Jewish land?!?!

Israel should apologize for agreeing to a Two-State solution way back in 1947?!?!

Israel should apologize for winning a war, and surviving the invasion of 5 nations all intent on wiping out every living Jew?!?! Israel should apologize for again winning against armies who wanted to drive every breathing Jew into the sea?!?!

Israel should apologize for getting the Palestinians out of their (Jordanian) slums and into apartments with running water? Israel should apologize for trading with them, providing them employment and boosting their economy and standard of living!?!?

Israel should apologize for Black September? For Munich?

And again, Israel should apologize for surviving the Yom Kippur invasion of 1973?

For Entebbe?

For Ma'alot...?!

Israel should apologize for the Palestinians waging constant war, terror and hatred... Israel should apologize for the Palestinians' constant destructive and ruinous pride?!?!

Pride.

This is all that Erakat is worried about. [How much money does he get paid, by the way, for being a Chief Negotiator? Would he be out of a job if peace was declared tomorrow?]

Israel should apologize for nothing.