“Palestine Papers” Reveal Israel Rejected Historic Concessions

The biggest document leak in the history of the Mideast conflict shows Palestinian negotiators offered to compromise on key issues like refugees and settelements.

For once, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have something to agree on: this document leak makes neither one of them look good. The 1,600 documents covering ten years of negotiations were obtained by Al-Jazeera, and show that the Palestinians said they would accept the Israeli annexation of Jewish settlements in Jerusalem, and limit the number of Palestinian refugees allowed to return to their homeland to 100,000. More than 3 million refugees claim the right of return. The documents could have major political implications, as they discredit Israel’s repeated assertion that the Palestinians aren’t serious about achieving peace, but could also weaken moderate Palestinian Authority because they show the leadership was willing to make concessions most Palestinians would never accept.