LONDON: The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said on Wednesday that an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, was the only path to a just and lasting peace.
Speaking alongside his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a joint news conference in Ankara after talks between the leaders, Abbas said any broader integration of Israel in the region must be tied to Palestinian statehood and conform to international law, UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
He said Palestinians would remain on their land and rejected displacement, Israeli settlement expansions and the seizures of occupied territory. Abbas described Israeli settlements as illegal and invalid under the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which was adopted in 2016, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.
He praised Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar and the US for their efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the territory, and lay the groundwork for its recovery and reconstruction.
He added that he supports international efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which endorsed a US-backed plan to end the war in Gaza, in a manner that halts Israel’s military campaign in the territory, restores Palestinian Authority control over Gaza, and initiates a wider political process.
