The Palestinian side has called for a detailed agreement specifying each party's commitment on key points, such as borders, Jerusalem, refugees, and Israeli settlements. They are also seeking a timeline for Palestinian statehood. But, Tel Aviv has said it expects a more general guideline without binding commitments.
"I will make no concessions [to Israel] at the conference in Annapolis, but will demand that UN Security Council resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the road map be implemented," Abbas told the Egyptian MENA agency.
These documents provide for an independent Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem within the borders established before the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, and for the return of Palestinian refugees.
"Nothing can make us agree to less than has been decided by the international community," Abbas said, urging a comprehensive consideration of all issues within the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"We must address issues of refugees, Jerusalem, borders, settlements, water and security," he said, adding these were conducive to a peace agreement with Israel as was previously the case between Israel and Egypt.
Abbas called on Arab and Islamic countries to avoid compromise with Israel until all the Arab territories occupied by Israel in 1967 are freed and the problem of Palestinian refugees has been resolved.
The Palestinian Hamas movement, which has occupied Gaza since June after a conflict with Abbas and his Fatah movement, has urged the Palestinian leader to shun the Middle East conference and be uncompromising in regard to Israel. But Abbas has said he could not miss the event.
"They must know that I have no intention of postponing or canceling my participation at the conference in anticipation of restoring Palestinian unity," Abbas told MENA, adding that disagreements like those between Fatah and Hamas were a normal situation for any country.
