Rabat - A Royal Navy combat unit on a maritime patrol mission assisted, on Sunday, 274 km southwest of Dakhla, a boat in difficulty with 141 sub-Saharan would-be migrants on board, following information received from the National Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center. The 141 sub-Saharans, including 3 women and 2 minors, were all rescued, according to a statement by the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, stressing that, given the unfavorable weather conditions, the assistance and rescue operation lasted fifteen hours. The would-be migrants set sail from the Mauritanian coast on Saturday February 10, intending to reach the Canary Islands, according to the same source. The rescued people received the necessary care before being taken to the port of Dakhla and handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for the usual administrative procedures. Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse RAMALLAH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tonight chaired a broad-based meeting of the Palestinian leadership to examine the situation of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. President Abbas said at the start of the meeting that this meeting is dedicated to discussing the catastrophic situation faced by the people of the Strip, including the killings, destruction and forced displacement, as a result of the Israeli aggression which has been ongoing for several consecutive months. The president pointed out that this meeting also aims at preventing these attacks and stopping any actions that would lead to the forced displacement of the strip's population from their land, particularly since the situation in Rafah has become so dangerous and difficult that it requires prompt action by the Palestinian leadership. The president discussed the ongoing efforts of the Palestinian leadership to stop the continuing Israeli aggression and massacres against the people in the Gaza Strip, which have so far resulted in over one hundred thousand casualties, mostly children, women and the elderly, and the destruction of more than 70% of the infrastructure, which he stressed would require years to be rebuilt. The president stressed that the Netanyahu government and the occupation army insist on continuing their aggression on various cities in the Gaza Strip, especially against the city of Rafah with the aim of forcibly displacing the local population. This will not be accepted by us or by anyone in the world, added the president. President Abbas also touched upon the daily raids carried out by the occupation forces and colonists into cities, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank, the closure of roads through the erection of dozens of checkpoints, the killing of civilians and the destruction of their homes. The President briefed the meeting on contacts that have been made with the leaders of more than 80 countries whose positions began to shift toward understanding the Palestinian position. Presiden t Abbas thanked the people of the world and countries that expressed support for the Palestinian position and called for putting an end to the aggression and the freedom of Palestine through solidarity demonstrations that took place in Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Africa. He also thanked all the countries that addressed international forums and courts, especially South Africa, which filed a case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Israel, to stop the aggression being committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation. The President also emphasized the continuation of efforts to strengthen national unity within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. President Abbas further affirmed adherence to the PLO's political program approved by successive national councils and their international obligations, which seek to end the occupation, achieve the establishment of an independent Pa lestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and put an end to the fallout of the coup that took place in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. The president also affirmed adherence to the principle of one authority, one law, one legitimate weapon and peaceful popular resistance. President Abbas welcomed the invitation of the Russian Federation for the Palestinian factions to hold a dialogue aimed at overcoming obstacles to end the abhorrent division, achieve national reconciliation and unify the national vision to address the challenges facing the Palestinian people and their cause. The meeting approved the formation of a committee to prepare an action plan to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, thwart the occupation's plans in all its forms and work toward mobilizing international support for the recognition of the Palestinian state and the end of the occupation. The president also addressed the financial crisis and the difficu lt economic situation facing the Palestinian government due to the withholding of the PA tax funds by the Israeli occupation authorities, claiming the deducted part goes for Gaza. The president stressed that 'we will continue to fulfill our responsibilities towards our people in Gaza as we have always done.' Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA