Interview with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
SPIEGEL: Netanyahu’s predecessor Ehud Olmert made you the best offer: The establishment of a Palestinian state on far more than 90 percent of the West Bank, a division of Jerusalem and the return of a few thousand refugees to Israel. Why did you reject it?
Abbas: I didn’t reject it. Olmert resigned from office because of his personal problems.
SPIEGEL: You waited too long. If you had accepted, most Israelis would probably have been willing to ignore the corruption charges against Olmert. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban once said that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity …
Abbas: … to miss an opportunity. Yes, I’m familiar with the quote…