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 The United States want Abbas to make the concession as part of
efforts to reach a "framework agreement" and extend the talks aimed
at settling the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The council of the Arab League confirms its support for the
Palestinian leadership in its effort to end the Israeli occupation
over Palestinian lands, and emphasizes its rejection of recognizing
Israel as a 'Jewish state'," Arab foreign ministers said in a
statement in Cairo.
Arab governments, distracted by the upheaval convulsing the region
since the 2011 Arab uprisings, have previously taken few stands on
the floundering peace talks, leaving Abbas isolated.
Benjamin Netanyahu has been Israel's first prime minister to make
recognition of his country as a Jewish state a requirement for
peace. The issue has lately overshadowed other stumbling blocks over
borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem.
Palestinians fear the label would lead to discrimination against
Israel's sizeable Arab minority, while Israelis say it recognizes
Jewish history and rights on the land.
"In recognizing the Jewish state you (Palestinians) would finally
make clear that you are truly prepared to end the conflict,"
Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
"So recognize the Jewish state, no excuses, no delays. It is time,"
he said in a speech to the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby.
Abbas complained on Saturday that Palestinians were being asked for
something that had not been demanded of Arab countries that have
previously signed peace treaties with Israel.
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"We recognized Israel in mutual recognition in the (1993) Oslo
agreement — why do they now ask us to recognize the Jewishness of
the state?" he asked.
"Why didn't they present this demand to Jordan or Egypt when they
signed a peace agreement with them?" Abbas added.
The United States is hoping to get the two sides to agree on some
general points, including the "Jewish state" issue and a rough
understanding on borders, as part of what it calls a framework deal
that could lead to the prolongation of the talks, which have
achieved little since they began seven months ago.
Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967
war. Palestinians seek the land for their future state, and want
Israeli soldiers and over half a million settlers gone.
(Reporting by Noah Browning in Cairo and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah;
editing by Alistair Lyon)
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