Abbas receives Israeli opposition in Ramallah

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday received an Israeli convoy from the opposition faction Meretz at his office in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Addressing his guests, Abbas reiterated that the PA is sticking to achieving peace based on the international resolutions which stipulate the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He stressed that the latest UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which stressed the illegitimacy of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories “is not against Israel, with which we are seeking to achieve just and comprehensive peace.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli convoy extended its congratulations to Abbas on the success of Fatah’s Seventh Congress and his re-election as Fatah leader.

The secretary of the Israeli faction told Abbas that there is an Israeli petition, signed by about 1,000 Israelis, which calls on France to go ahead with the peace conference even if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to partake.

According to Army Radio,  during discussions about US President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas told the visiting group: “Moving the embassy will have serious consequences not only for the Palestinian people, but also for the legitimacy of the entire international struggle against the occupation.”