2. How can the Board talk of negotiations when Abbas has walked out on negotiations? Did Abbas indicate he was prepared to return to negotiations without preconditions?

3. The Board is strangely silent on the “right of return” and on Abbas recognizing Israel as the nation state of the Jews in its statement.
Did the Board just listen or did it contribute anything at the meeting?

4. “It also needs to be stressed that prior to our accepting the invitation, the matter was thoroughly discussed with and approved by senior ministers in the Israeli government.The latter were also thoroughly briefed about what took place afterwards.”

Who were the senior ministers? Did they include the Prime Minister? If not – why not?

5. “This, he (Abbas) said, means pursuing a negotiated solution aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel based on the 1967 borders, where necessary with land swaps. All issues need to be negotiated with Israel to end the conflict.”
(i) Did the Board point out there are no 1967 borders?
(ii) Did the Board point out “land swaps” are not necessarily Israel’s policy?
(iii)Did the Board discuss the question of Jews continuing to live in the independent Palestinian state as citizens of that state?

6.The responses the Board received from members of the community as noted by it were certainly justified.

Interestingly enough the Board does not indicate the level of support it received from the community in going into such a meeting.

7. The photo opportunity of the head of South African Jewry shaking hands with a man who declared the following in July 2013 – is disgraceful:
“In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli – civilian or soldier – on our lands,”
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Abbas-wants-not-a-single-Israeli-in-future-Palestinian-state-321470

7. Whatever the Board President said to Abbas did not stop Abbas making this abhorrent remark just a few days ago:
““We will never recognize the Jewishness of the state of Israel,” Abbas was quoted by Channel 10 saying.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-palestinians-will-never-recognize-israel-as-jewish-state/#ixzz3KmVjmdL3

In my opinion the Board would have been wiser to decline President Zuma’s kind invitation on the grounds that it did not wish to meddle in a conflict that it was not a party to.

Keeping out of hot water is much more sensible than jumping into it with your eyes open.