President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership have expressed their strong rejection of calls to seize the Gaza Strip and displace Palestinians outside their homeland.
The President stated, in response to calls by the U.S. administration for displacement of the Palestinian people: “We will not allow any infringement on the rights of our people, for which we have struggled for decades and made great sacrifices to achieve.
“These calls represent a serious violation of international law. Peace and stability in the region will not be achieved without the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the borders of June 4 1967, based on the two-state solution.”
The President added that the Palestinian people will not give up their land, rights and holy sites, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem, occupied since 1967.
He stressed that the legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable, and that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, entrusted with safeguarding their national principles. The PLO is sole independent Palestinian decision-maker, and no one has the right to make decisions regarding the future of the Palestinian people on its behalf.
The President renewed his appreciation for the firm and steadfast Arab positions against displacement and annexation, and their commitment to the realisation of the Palestinian state as a fundamental requirement for achieving peace in the region, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. In this context, he commended the positions of the brotherly nations of Egypt and Jordan which reject displacement and any infringement of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
He also praised the position of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which rejects settlement, annexation, and displacement, and remains committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The President called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the UN Security Council to assume their responsibilities and take urgent action to safeguard the universally agreed-upon resolutions of international legitimacy, protect the Palestinian people, preserve their inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination and to remain in their homeland, and bring an end to the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
President Abbas reaffirmed that the Palestinian people and their leadership are committed to international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, both of which emphasise the realisation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the land of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem as its eternal capital.
Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Welcomes Countries’ Rejection of Calls for Displacement and Annexation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine welcomes the positions of countries that have rejected calls for displacement and annexation, warning of grave consequences for the conflict, the region, and global stability.
These countries have reaffirmed their commitment to the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them being the embodiment of the Palestinian state on the ground with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the two-state solution.
The Ministry urges countries that have yet to take a clear stance to swiftly reject displacement and annexation in adherence to international law and relevant UN resolutions.
