Abbas calls for a transparent and open Palestinian State

If transparency and accountability prevailed in Palestine, the Palestinians will have the respectable state they deserve, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday.

Speaking during a ceremony held in Ramallah on International Anti-Corruption Day, Abbas said: “The accused is innocent until proven guilty, and we reject libel and malicious accusations and the perpetrators must be held accountable.”

Abbas pointed out that the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission is working in a transparent manner and anyone can criticise its work to correct any error, stressing that the Palestinian leadership is satisfied with the commission’s work.

Commenting on the Palestinian bid to the Security Council, Abbas said there are no errors in the draft resolution because it calls for ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state within a specific timeframe and along the 1967 borders as featured in the United Nations General Assembly resolutions.

Abbas said: “The new feature in the draft resolution is that it calls to end the Israeli occupation because as long as there is occupation, we will continue to be dependent on aid.”

“Is it reasonable to wait for the whole world’s local elections to apply for the Security Council? Every time we plan to go to the Security Council, we are told to wait for election results in the United States or in Israel. I have a cause which I will pursue and we will go forward.”