Yup, 50 years + and we're still at the beginning. But actually, the concept of Abbas initial statement is positive news for Israel. Not in any settlement sense, but in the sense that the PA needs to keep engaging Israel less the world forgets about them. We know how this is going to go. As soon as the world starts paying attention again, the PA will force failure and then blame Israel. I think Israel has been slowly building a better hand than the PA and doesn't feel it necessary to heavily engage the PA (another Obama dis from the rest of the world). The PA is always looking to fail and blame it on Israel. That's why we're still at the beginning after 50 years of negotiations.
Every single offer for compromise (a foreign word in the Arabic language) from 1917-2013 has been rejected by one side - go look at the archives. The Arabs, (now popularly called “Palestinians” and their so-called rights) rejected the 1947 plan because they were determined to win a military victory and slaughter the Jews.
Well, they lost in their war of annihilation, fair and square. Not once but 5 times. Don't worry though, they're not done yet. They sign documents and continue to teach their children to “resist” the “occupation” via violence.
If the Palestinians REALLY wanted peace, a state and to live side by side with Israel (not substituting her place) they could have had peace in 1993 but they reject the very concept yet they play the game for foreign aid, which they invest in hate education and weapons.
BTW how does the “Two State Solution” work when the Palestinians are physically and ideologically divided between the “moderate” PLO in Ramallah (who want to kill the Jews on a long term basis) and the HAMAS in Gaza (who want to kill the Jews ASAP)?
Maybe we should go for a “Tri-State Solution” - has that ever worked before?