Legitimizing land grabs

Apparently, after two recent meetings with PM Ehud Olmert, Abu Mazen has perfected the duplicitious and prevaricating language of Israeli diplomacy. In what would initially seem the toughest language to come out of "official" Palestine since this summer's coup, Abbas claims to be after no less than all territory illegally annexed by Israel in June 1967, some 2,400 square miles, or 22% of historic Palestine. He notes, however (and this is where it gets tricky), that "[to] a border adjustment, on the basis of the same quality and the same amount, we have no objections." In other words, word from Ramallah to the rest of Occupied Palestine: let's be ready for a land swap! Abbas did not deem it fit to speak of the Separation Wall, the right of return, or any other final-status issue.

This comes on a day of wide reporting of Israel's intent to annex four Palestinian villages in the West Bank, for the purpose of expanding Israeli settlements. Israeli army says that the illegal confiscation will result in a "Palestinians-only" road from East Jerusalem to Jericho. Lovely. A road that will be largely unusable/inaccessible to the majority of Palestinians near it, all to connect the discontinuous Palestinian cantons found in the 23 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho.