Palestinian president discusses latest efforts to solidify ceasefire with US State Secretary

Palestinian president discusses latest efforts to solidify ceasefire with US State Secretary


Palestinian President Abbas during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah (WAFA Images)

Ramallah (UNA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received on Tuesday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah, where they discussed the latest efforts to solidify the truce across the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem and Gaza.

Abbas discussed during a meeting with Blinken and the accompanying delegation, at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, efforts to reconstruct the devastated Gaza Strip following 11 days of Israeli onslaught, and ways to reach a political solution and to promote the US-Palestinian partnership.

President Abbas thanked the US administration, led by President Joe Biden for the efforts it had made in close cooperation with Egypt and the Arab and relevant parties, to reach a ceasefire.

He stressed the need to continue working to ensure that the ceasefire includes putting an end to the ongoing attacks perpetrated by Israeli forces and settler extremists against Palestinians in Jerusalem, particularly against Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods, and the cessation of the arrest and detention of Palestinians, the demolition of homes, and the expropriation of Palestinian land for settlement activities.

Abbas praised the US position that calls for respecting the legal status quo at al-Haram Al-Sharif, which includes Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem, halting the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in occupied Jerusalem, and not undertake any unilateral actions, including settlement expansion. He further praised the US administration’s adherence to the two-state solution in accordance with international law.

The Palestinian president briefed the US Secretary of State on the recent developments in occupied Palestinian Territories. He underscored the importance of US intervention to pressure Israel to stop its ongoing aggression in occupied Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, stressing that these practices undermine US efforts to solidify the ceasefire and de-escalate the situation.

Abbas also emphasized the Palestinian side’s commitment to peaceful popular resistance and to repudiate all forms of violence.

The President praised Blinken’s announcement to reopen the Consulate General in Jerusalem and to provide $75 million for development assistance, in addition to $5 million in immediate disaster assistance for Gaza, and another $32 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA).

Abbas stressed that solidifying the truce is a significant step that paves the way for the prompt start of a political process that ends the Israeli occupation of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, under the supervision of the International Quartet and in line with international legitimacy resolutions.

He said that the Palestinian leadership will continue its efforts for the formation of a national consensus government that is committed to international legitimacy.

For his part, Blinken affirmed the importance of stabilizing the ceasefire and cooperating with the Palestinian Authority and the UN to support the reconstruction efforts in Gaza and create a political horizon that meets the aspirations of the Palestinians and Israelis and equally preserves their dignity, freedom, and security.

He reaffirmed the US position in support of the two-state solution, and preserving the status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and preventing the forced expulsion of Palestinians in Jerusalem, affirming the US administration’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with the Palestinian Authority and people.

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