President Mahmoud Abbas opened the new headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Ramallah on Tuesday, but said it was temporary and would be moved to Jerusalem.

The president recalled visiting the PLO headquarters in Jerusalem in 1964, and said the body would return to the city "one day."

The PLO often faced difficulties as the sole legal representative of Palestinians to the international community, Abbas said.

Commenting on the Israeli parliament's decision Monday to approve a bill requiring a referendum for any withdrawal from occupied East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights, Abbas said Israel was impeding the peace process.

"This step puts obstacles in the way of the political process," Abbas said.

"The Israelis want to tell the whole world that they will not withdraw from Jerusalem or the Golan," he said.

While noting that he did not object to Israel putting the final peace deal to a referendum, Abbas said a referendum "on this part or that" meant "obstructions on the way to peace."