Call for clarity on borders

The Palestinians are seeking a map from the United States showing where Israel sees its final borders and making clear whether they include Palestinian land and homes, an official said yesterday.

Palestine Liberation Organisation official Yasser Abed Rabbo was responding to a US call for the Palestinians to present their own ideas in response to an Israeli proposal that they recognise Israel as a Jewish state in return for curbs on settlement building - a declaration they have long opposed.

"What is required from the American Administration and Israel is that they present us with the map of the state of Israel that they want us to recognise," Abed Rabbo told Reuters.

"Is this map on the '67 borders or does it include Palestinian land and the homes we live in?" he said, referring to the year when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a Middle East war.