Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas marked Nakba Day, the day Arabs mark the “catastrophe” of the creation of Israel in 1948, with an anniversary speech calling on Israel to return to negotiations. Abbas, also urged Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip to halt rocket attacks on Israel and encouraged Israel to step up its military activity to stop the violence. “I tell our neighbors, the Israelis, that we want to make a just and lasting peace with you, and we want a better future for our children and yours. So come to make this year a year of peace,” he told Palestinian radio.