RAMALLAH, Sunday, November 5, 2023 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah. During the meeting, the President called for an immediate halt to the devastating Israeli war on Gaza and urged the swift provision of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, food, water, electricity, and fuel, to the war-torn enclave.
President Abbas stated, "We meet again under extremely difficult circumstances, and there are no words to describe the genocidal war and destruction that our Palestinian people in Gaza are enduring at the hands of the Israeli war machinery, with no regard for international law."
"How can we remain silent when ten thousand Palestinians, including four thousand children, have been killed, and tens of thousands have been injured, and when tens of thousands of homes, infrastructure, hospitals, shelters, and water reservoirs have been destroyed?" the President wondered.
President Abbas once again warned against the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem, emphasizing complete rejection of this scenario.
He also highlighted the appalling situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem, where killings, assaults on land, people, and holy sites are taking place at the hands of Israeli occupation forces and extremist settlers who engage in ethnic cleansing, discrimination, and expropriation of Palestinian tax funds.
President Abbas held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for what is happening on the ground, stressing that "military and security solutions will not bring security to Israel." He called on Israel "to immediately stop these crimes."
The President reiterated that "true security and peace can only be achieved by ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders."
President Abbas reaffirmed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine. He said in this regard, "We will fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes all of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip."
He also emphasized that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and has the authority over all matters concerning the Palestinian people.
M.N
