next our exclusive interview with iran's president mahmoud abbas with. president mahmoud ahmadinejad thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy show jewel to be on r.t. and to answer a number of questions that i'd like to put to you and get your latest thoughts on domestic issues and international issues and i'll start if i may with the story that made all the news headlines for the past six months that unfolded in north africa in the middle east that's been the arab spring what are your views on the arab spring and we've spoken about it before but i just wanted to hear your latest thoughts do you think it's a popular uprising for the better to bring democracy or you think it's something maybe that's been orchestrated from abroad over to you. so we've seen very important developments in our region and in north africa it's not only about the people in the region today justice and dignity are among the requirements of all human beings africa has the same aspirations and i think our region has the ability to run our own countries and they have th

despite the fact that israel in so that it's god's will is to blame and the palestinian president mahmoud abbas is calling for an emergency united nations security council anything he's calling on the international community to denounce and to call on israel to stop these attacks related because we had all seen the palestinians who have been killed in a round of israeli yes might that have been ongoing since the late date mostly plays with in the way that it could be a. full scale war between israel and gaza and in the last conflict there were a number of casualties on both sides but having said that it is now more than a week and israeli protesters are taking to the speech and demanding from the government that it is great they spoke the economic problems organizers of these demonstrations say that this latest wave of violence is not unexpected very much interest to pay to that israeli government if you've any faith to detract attention from their content and make on its own terms only a we spoke to one of the organizers and that they were minds of victims of the violence and that they would s

despite the fact that israel insists that it's god there is to blame now the palestinian president mahmoud abbas is calling for an emergency united nations security council meeting he's calling on the international community to denounce and to call on israel to stop these attacks the latest figures we have all some fifteen palestinians who have been killed in a round of israeli air strikes that have been ongoing since the late tuesday when most israelis are very afraid that they could be a full full scale war between israel and gaza and in the last conflict there were a number of casualties on both sides but having said that it is not more than four weeks since israeli protesters have taken to the streets asking and demanding from the government that it is great they socio economic problems organizers of these demonstrations say that this latest wave of violence is not unexpected they very much anticipated that the israeli government would do anything to detract attention from their complaints and their concerns and earlier we spoke to one of the organizers who said that they were simply fine wi

that despite the fact that israel insists that gaza is to blame now the palestinian president mahmoud abbas is calling for an emergency united nations security council meeting he's calling on the international community to denounce and to call on is all to stop these attacks the latest figures we have all some fifteen palestinians who have been killed in a round of israeli airstrikes that have been ongoing since late tuesday we are also being told that the situation on the ground is intensifying and there are no indications that the situation will make up any time soon now as far as the israeli side goes they say that hamas the islamic jihad and the popular resistance committees that it holds responsible for thursday's attacks are responsible for more than fifty grad and kasam rockets that have been fired on israel since those days and what we're witnessing on the ground is a situation that is intensifying and intensifying quickly what about the people in tel aviv where you are how are they feeling about this latest announcement from hamas about the cease fire. well most israelis are very a

peres prime minister benjamin netanyahu and will also visit with palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas in the west bank town for some of this is going to be their second or their third trip i study hoyer who is hosting a vacation for twenty six democratic members and he releases recently said that he is pleased members of congress have this opportunity to study american interests in the middle east and gave a deeper understanding of the issues involved in increasing stability in the region he's probably also referring to all the republican congress members most of them who are freshman this year as this is going to be their first trip to israel let's get to the juicy part of the story right these vacations are all sponsored as and paid for by the american israel education foundation which is basically a pac now a self-proclaimed america's pro israel lobby is treating u.s. congress members to an all expense paid vacation the same congress members who vote for their aid package isn't that nice you know i'm feeling of goldman sachs was paying for twenty percent of the u.s. congress to hea

we were supposed to meet with president mahmoud abbas.o not know if he had a scheduling conflict, so we met with the prime minister. the thing that i question, coming away from listening to him during his speech, the one, during the time that i was there no one from the palestinian authority announced the terrorist attack. let me tell you about it. it claimed the lives of eight israelis. three of them were egyptian. when they traced the arrival to out of egypt, they went in under a very well coordinated ambush to kill eight israelis. afterwards, the rockets and mortars gave no word from the palestinian authority. president of's put out a statement saying that he felt that israel was using, going into gaza, as a means to try to delegitimize votes for palestinian statehood. he would not even recognize the fact that israel had been attacked. we have got to have people that will recognize the existence of the state of israel, the mounting terrorist groups and terrorist acts. when people talk about aid to state solution, mahmoud abbas has not

the expansion comes as palestinian president mahmoud abbas prepares to head to the united nations tof a palestinian state. kevin flower has more on that story. >> reporter: for the palestinian authority, these are the sights and sounds of statehood. here the start of construction on a new $34 million west bank housing development is celebrated by prime minister salam fiat. it is countless examples of palestinian readiness for an independent state. >> that state is on the ground. the reality is on the ground. what we need now is actually to ensure that that state is sovereign. >> reporter: it is to that end that the palestinian authority is seeking international recognition of an independent palestinian state in lou of resuming more talks with israel. for palestinians it is a strategy been of frustration and one fraught with risk. the frustration, what is seen as israel's refusal to halt unilateral action such as continued settlement construction in the occupied west bank. among the many risks, falsely raising the hopes of palestinians and alienating deep-pocketed donors like the u.s.

we were supposed to meet with president mahmoud abbas. i was not aware of a scheduling problem.stioned if they are a credible peace partner. listening to him and his 35- minute speech, i do not believe so. number one, during that time i was there, no one from the palestinian authority denounced the terrorist attacks. let me tell you about this attack which claimed the life of eight israelis. three of the attackers were egyptians. when they traced back their routes, they came out of egypt, they tracked across the sinai desert, which is nothing but a no man's land now, and they went in in a very well-planned, well coordinated ambushed and killed eight israelis. afterwards, the rockets and mortars that came in and out of gaza, no word from the palestinian authority denouncing those rockets and mortars. president abbas put out a statement that said that he felt that israel was using firing back as a means to delegitimize the september vote of the palestinian statehood. he would not even recognize the fact that israel had been attacked. we have have people who will recognize the exis