Mahmoud Abbas. Photo: World Economic Forum.

JNS.org – Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas is set to unveil a plan for a return to negotiations with Israel over a nine-month period. Abbas’s plan will propose an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank in three years, reports say.

The plan was revealed by former PA religious affairs minister and close Abbas advisor Mahmoud al-Habbash, who said Abbas plans to reveal the plan at an Arab League meeting on Sept. 7. Senior PA advisors have already discussed the plan with European leaders and will do the same with American officials.

According al-Habbash, the two sides will have nine months to negotiate, with the first three months dedicated to discussion of borders and the other six months dedicated to discussing core issues such as final status of refugees, Jerusalem, Jewish communities, security arrangements and water.

“The goal of the Palestinians is to begin discussions that will eventually lead to the end of the occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 lines with east Jerusalem as its capital,” al-Habbash told the Jordanian newspaper Al-Ghad.

If Israel does not agree to the timetable, al-Habbash said Abbas will turn to unilateral moves such as joining international bodies and seeking action against Israel in the International Criminal Court.