Abbas: We will end all dealings with Israel if we fail in UNSC

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened yesterday to stop all dealings with Israel “if the Arab-Palestinian initiative submitted to the Security Council to put an end to the [Israeli] occupation isn’t passed.”

Speaking during a joint press conference in Algiers with Algerian Parliament Speaker Abdul Qadir Bin Saleh and Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, Abbas said: “If the Arab-Palestinian initiative submitted to the Security Council to put an end to the [Israeli] occupation doesn’t pass, we will be forced to take the necessary political and legal decisions.”

“If it fails, we will no longer deal with the Israeli government, which will then be forced to assume its responsibilities as an occupier,” he added.

“We are determined to regain the rights of our people, including the right of return [for refugees] and the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails,” Abbas said.

“We won’t surrender to the occupation’s policy of dominance and repression,” he added.

Abbas stressed the importance of the Palestinian issue to stability in the Middle East. “The Palestinian cause is the key to peace and war in the Middle East and the basis for maintaining security and peace.”

Last week, Jordan presented the draft resolution to the UN Security Council on behalf of the Arab group. The draft resolution calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian land occupied since 1967 by the end of 2017.

Abbas made a three-day visit to Algeria following an invitation from his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika to discuss mutual cooperation and the issue of the recognition of the Palestinian state. The visit ended yesterday.