Palestine welcomes African Union's support of Palestinian rights

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Monday welcomed the decisions that came in the final statement of the 36th session of the African Union Summit, held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, particularly the paragraph related to the Palestinian issue.

The ministry thanked the AU and the African countries who stood by Palestine and refused Israel’s request to obtain observer status in the bloc.

In its closing statement, the AU affirmed the full support of African countries for the Palestinian people, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, in their legitimate struggle against the Israeli occupation in order to restore their inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination, return of refugees, and establishing their independent and sovereign state on the 4 June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The African leaders also renewed their call to launch a credible political process to end the Israeli occupation and dismantle its apartheid regime in order to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, to support the State of Palestine’s efforts to achieve full membership in the United Nations and to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people.

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