P.A. Publishes Arab Peace Plan in Israeli Newspapers

November 20, 2008 8:08 a.m. EST

(TML) - On Thursday morning the four major Israeli newspapers carried a Hebrew translation of the Arab peace initiative after the Palestinian Authority placed advertisements to explain the details of the Arab League initiative in order to increase support for the plan among the Israeli public.

The advertisements contain the text of the initiative surrounded by the flags of the 57 member states of the Arab League and the larger Organization of the Islamic Conference, which also supports the initiative.

The Arab peace initiative was first presented in 2002 by then Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and has the backing of all 22 members of the Arab League.

The plan, which is based on the land for peace principle, offers Israel normalization of relations with all members of the Arab League in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a just solution for the Palestinian refugees.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud 'Abbas sees the peace initiative as the best possible solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but he feels that the Israeli public and even some politicians have little knowledge of the plan, according the Israeli daily Haaretz.

The American president-elect Barack Obama has also voiced his support for the plan.