In the talks that led to the Oslo Accords, which took place without [Palestinian leader and doctor Haydar] Abdel Shafi’s knowledge, current Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) and Yasser Arafat agreed to what [Abdel Shafi] had vehemently refused to do: postpone discussion of the settlements in the territories with the Israelis. He warned that this would allow the Jewish settlements to expand and the Israeli takeover of Palestinian lands to continue.
The concessions the Palestinians made at Oslo, he said, transformed the occupied territories in the world’s eyes into simply "contested territories," with both sides seemingly having the right to ownership. In his later years he lived in deep frustration because his warnings had been right.
History Proved Arafat Critic Right, by Amira Hass; Ha’aretz, 30 Sept 2007, upon Abdel Shafi’s death (picked up by this site).
