MOSCOW, January 22, 2026 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated on Thursday his rejection of all attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.
Speaking in a meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, at the presidential palace in Moscow, President Abbas stated, as reported by the Russian President’s official website, the Kremlin, that “the Palestinian people are holding onto their land, and we categorically oppose attempts by the Americans and Israelis to expatriate Palestinians beyond Palestinian territory. The Palestinian people are resolved that they will not abandon their land, whatever the cost.”
President Abbas stressed the need to fully implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, leading to the withdrawal of occupation forces and the launch of the reconstruction process.
He emphasized that the Palestinian Authority shall assume a central role in administering the Gaza Strip, and that the Strip and the West Bank constitute two parts of a single territorial unit, with a unified and undifferentiated system of civilian institutions.
He stressed the need for an immediate halt to Israeli settler-colonialism and Israeli colonist terror in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, along with the release of withheld Palestinian funds, and the cessation of all measures that undermine the Palestinian Authority and the two-state solution.
He reaffirmed his commitment to continue the struggle for the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to their right to a fully sovereign, independent state on the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in security and peace with its neighbors.
“What we need is peace, and we hope that with your help and support, we can achieve it – a peace built on the basis of international legal resolutions, decisions of the United Nations, and the principles established following the wars of 1967 and 1973,” he told Putin.
“East Jerusalem remains the capital of Palestine, and we know that Russia has always supported – indeed, was the first to support – Palestine, maintaining a firm stance in support of our people.”
President Abbas thanked his Russian counterpart for Moscow’s support and commended the bilateral “bonds of friendship” between both countries.
“We are friends of Russia and the Russian people. For over 50 years, our nations have been bound by a strong friendship that has developed over the decades and continues on the correct path. Russia is a great friend and a nation upon which we rely in many spheres,” Abbas said.
“Historically, Russia has supported and stood by the Palestinian people at the political and diplomatic levels. Your economic and financial support is both significant in scale and crucial in importance.”
President Abbas further emphasized moving forward with the implementation of a comprehensive national reform program aimed at consolidating the rule of law, strengthening the principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability, and ensuring the separation of powers.
President Putin affirmed Moscow’s “principled and consistent approach” to the Palestinian question. “We believe that only the establishment and full functioning of the Palestinian state can lead to a lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict,” he stated.
K.F.
