CAIRO, Sunday, January 17, 2021 (WAFA) - Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, welcomed today President Mahmoud Abbas' decree to hold legislative, presidential, and National Council elections.

In a statement, Aboul Gheit said this step is an important support for the Palestinian position and a wise decision to unite ranks and rearrange the Palestinian house.

Aboul Gheit emphasized that the response of the Palestinian factions to this important development indicates that holding the elections would represent a step on the road towards national reconciliation.

He added that the Israeli occupation has always sought to exploit the internal division to weaken the position of the Palestinians.

The Arab League chief called on the international community to support the Palestinian decision to hold elections, stressing that the coming stage needs a new approach to launch a peace process based on the two-state solution and international and legal references.

He affirmed that the new process must lead an end to the occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.    

A.D./T.R.