Abbas warns Israel against turning a political conflict into a religious one

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has the Israeli government against turning the Palestinian-Israeli issue from a political to a religious conflict.

“Israeli practices against the Palestinian people, including the arrests, field executions and the escalation of settler attacks against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, cannot be tolerated or accepted,” Abbas said during a press conference in Ramallah with the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras yesterday.

“Our people live in dangerous conditions because of the continued occupation and its criminal actions, as well as torture, economic blockade and the absence of a political horizon – and this has resulted in despair and insecurity and brought the Palestinian youth to these reactions” he added.

The Palestinian president said the Israeli government has foiled all chances of achieving peace, and has effectively destroyed the foundations of all political, security and economic agreements signed with the Palestinian Authority.

“We do not want negotiations for negotiations and we will not accept partial or interim solutions; we will continue our accession to the international treaties and conventions to safeguard the rights of our people and strengthen the foundations of our state,” Abbas added.