„There is much talk these days about the Palestinian Authority’s intention to ask the United Nations Security Council to issue a resolution condemning Israel for construction in the settlements. It is not yet clear whether the PA will carry out its threat. What is clear, however, is that this obsession with the settlements is certain to divert attention from core issues, such as Palestinian recognition of a Jewish Israel. Many Palestinians continue to regard Israel as one big settlement that needs to be removed from the Middle East. Why, in fact, do the Palestinians refuse to accept Israel as a Jewish state? …
While Palestinian leaders have been rather reluctant to elaborate on the reasons behind their rejectionism, other Palestinians have been more generous about the issue. One of these is Palestinian political scientist Dr. Saniyeh Al-Husseini, who recently published an article titled, ‚Why Palestinians Refuse to Accept the Jewishness of the State of Israel.‘ The article was reprinted by the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, WAFA – a definite sign that the Palestinian leadership endorses her views. … In the view of Al-Husseini, then, Palestinians refuse to acknowledge a Jewish state because they believe that this would grant legitimacy to ‚Jews’ rights to the land of Palestine‘ and undermine the Palestinian demand for the ‚right of return‘ for millions of refugees into Israel.
Let us take a moment to clarify this: the Palestinian Authority wants a Palestinian state next to Israel while at the same time flooding Israel with millions of refugees. That, of course, is something to which no Israeli government could ever agree. Even more crucial is the Palestinian refusal to recognize a Jewish right to the land. Such denial is a longstanding pillar of the official Palestinian narrative. Even those who say they have accepted the two-state solution are not prepared to recognize any Jewish link to or history in the land.“ (Der israelisch-arabische Journalist Khaled Abu Toameh auf der Website des Gatestone Institute: „Palestinians: We Will Not Accept a Jewish Israel“)
