The Beirut Peace Proposal to Israel was a landmark event in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. For the first time, the Arab states came together to offer Israel full normalization if the Jewish state withdrew to 1967 borders and accepted a two-state solution.

Israel’s prime minister at the time, Ariel Sharon, did not even consider the offer put forth due to Saudi crafting. Besides the return to 1967 borders, Israel would have to accept some sort of agreement on the return of Palestinian refugees to their home in what is now “Israel”.

The matter of final borders was always implicitly fluid. Israel is not - and the Arabs now this - going to return entirely to 1967 borders. It will, instead, annex a few settlement blocs close to the border and in-exchange compensate Palestinians with its own land. But Israel cannot annex settlements beyond the near-border area for such a process would been the division of the West Bank through an Israeli road system. This has always been the implicit acknowledge on behalf of the Arab states.

And the right-of-return cannot be absolute for Israel would never accept such a right. There are five million Palestinian refugees and their return would end the Jewish character of Israel. Nonetheless, although it was always known by Arab states that the right-of-return would have to be turned into a right-to-compensation, they have maintained such a right in the peace offer because it is so central to the Palestinian cause. The idea has to leave it on the table until a final agreement when only then would the Palestinians be willingly to make that sacrifice for a full peace accord.

But apparently that plan has changed. Al-Quds Al-Arabia is reporting that the Beirut peace plan will be modified to remove the right-of-return and expedate normalization with Israel.

Is this true? Not sure yet. Will Palestinians accept it? Only time will tell. Will it make Israel more receptive to peace? Unlikely.