Abbas says Israel is conducting ethnic cleansing of Palestinians

On Friday the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of conducting ethnic cleansing of Palestinians as it intensifies settlement building at the same time joint international efforts are being exerted to reach a peace deal.

Abbas reiterated that Jerusalem is the key to peace and the capital of the eternal Palestinian state. He said that it should be the title and the basis for relations of Arab and Islamic states with other states in the world.

Speaking to the 20th session of the Jerusalem Committee in Casablanca, Abbas exposed the threats facing the city of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque under the Israeli occupation. He incited all to exert efforts to protect them.

“Jerusalem is now under unprecedented Israeli threat,” Abbas said, “as Israel is carrying out a fateful battle in its war aimed at erasing the Islamic, Arabic and Christian appearance of East Jerusalem.”

Regarding the peace negotiations, Abbas reiterated that the PA is sticking to national principles and it is not accepting that negotiations be a cover for the continuous building of settlements in the Palestinian territories and the judaisation of Jerusalem.

Abbas also refused any Israeli existence in the Palestinian territories and affirmed that he would not accept any peace deal without East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.

Source: Al-Sharq