JERICHO, January 28, 2018 (WAFA) – Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Sa’eb Erekat Sunday said that ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital is the only way to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the region.

This came as Erekat held separate meetings with visiting former Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and the UN Middle East peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov.

Erekat stressed that US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and his recent statement that Jerusalem has been taken off the negotiation table, will only widen the cycle of violence, chaos, extremism and bloodshed; not only between Israelis and Palestinians, but also in the entire Middle East region.

He praised the international consensus rejecting Trump’s decisions on Jerusalem, in line with the international law and the resolutions of the international community.

M.N./T.R.