The Palestine papers: Abbas admits refugee return 'illogical'

Mahmoud Abbas is talking about the Arab Peace Initiative, a comprehensive peace plan first put forward in 2002. It was received warmly by much of the international community, and Obama said he intended to "incorporate" it into US policy. Mahmoud Abbas here focuses on what the API says about the refugee issue.

The date of this meeting is March 24 2009, six weeks after the Israeli election. Kadima, under Tzipi Livni, won the most number of seats, but it was Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud who was able to form a coalition with rightwing parties and Labour.

Mahmoud Abbas confirms that Ehud Olmert presented him with a map but refused to allow him to take it away for study and consultation. These remarks also confirm that the Palestinian leader was prepared to compromise on the right of return for refugees, one of the most potent issues for Palestinians.

Mahmoud Abbas appears ready to concede one of the Palestinians' fundamental demands when he says it would be "illogical" to expect Israel to absorb millions of refugees. But he adds that the Israeli proposal of accepting just 5,000 over five years is too few.

Mahmoud Abbas' answer to Bader Rock's question is poignant. Hs family fled from the Galilee city of Safad in 1948 when he was 13. He says that the duty of Arab citizens of Israel - now numbering around 1.5m - is to fight for equal rights within Israel as well as supporting the Palestinian struggle for a state.