President Mahmoud Abbas urged today the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities and immediately put an end to the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza and the rest of Palestine, reiterating his calls for the provision of badly needed international protection for the Palestinian people. He also called for the immediate delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli aerial and ground offensive for over a month, affirming his strong rejection of the displacement Palestinians from their lands in Gaza, the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem. Speaking at the extraordinary Arab-Islamic joint summit held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, President Abbas emphasized the need to secure the entry of medical and food supplies, as well as ensure access to water, electricity, and fuel in the Gaza Strip. He also appealed for measures to prevent the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. Rejecting military and security solutions that have proven ineffective, President Abbas said Israel was undermining the two-state solution and replacing it with intensified settlement, annexation, ethnic cleansing, and racial discrimination policies in the West Bank and Jerusalem. He condemned the blockade on Gaza and violations of the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites. President Abbas stressed that “Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and any political solution must encompass the entire Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza. We reject Israel’s seizure of Palestinian funds the we send monthly to Gaza, which we have not abandoned for a single day.” Calling for international support, President Abbas urged the UN Security Council to grant full membership to the State of Palestine. He also called for an international peace conference and the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The President called for resolving the Palestinian refugee issue in accordance with UN Resolution 194, demanding international guarantees and a timetable for implementation of this solution. He affirmed the commitment of the State of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, to this approach. The President also appealed for the mobilization of international support to enable Palestinian institutions to continue their duties, including the reconstruction of Gaza. He expressed gratitude to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for hosting the summit and praised the leaders of Arab countries for their steadfast support for the Palestinian people in these challenging and decisive circumstances.
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency