Abbas calls on Arab summit to expose Israeli violations and support Palestinians

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Wednesday for the 31st Arab League Summit in Algiers to form two ministerial committees to act internationally to expose Israeli violations and support the state of Palestine politically and legally. The Palestinian narrative, Abbas told the summit, must be explained to the international community.

The veteran Palestinian leader emphasised the need to implement the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative; get further recognition in Europe for the State of Palestine; obtain full UN membership; block the transfer of embassies to occupied Jerusalem; and hold an international peace conference based on international legitimacy.

The people of occupied Palestine, said Abbas, look forward to the support of the Arab states for the formation of a legal committee to follow up on the crimes committed against the Palestinian people in the wake of Britain’s Balfour Declaration issued in November 1917; the Deed of Mandate in cooperation with the United States of America; and the repercussions of that on the Palestinian people. “Israel committed more than 50 massacres during and after the 1948 Nakba [Catastrophe], and wiped more than 500 Palestinian villages off the map,” Abbas reminded participants at the summit.

The occupation state, he pointed out, insists on undermining the two-state solution, violating international law and agreements signed with the Palestinians. “Its unilateral practices have left us with no choice but to reconsider the whole relationship, implement the decisions of the Palestinian National Council, resort to international courts, and join more international organisations to protect the rights of our people.”

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The Palestinian president called for the decisions of previous Arab summits regarding financial support for the budget of the State of Palestine to be implemented, especially the Arab financial safety net that was approved earlier. “This is essential, because Israel is holding Palestinian funds.”

Abbas said that every effort must be made for the success of the Jerusalem Conference next year at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. He also urged the Arab summit to call on Al-Azhar University, the Vatican and other Islamic and Christian religious authorities to carry out their duties towards Jerusalem and its sanctities, and to adopt a clear road map for this religious obligation and indispensable political necessity.