What does the Palestinian president say about the prospect of reconciliation with Israel?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to visit Russia in mid-August. Before that, he gave an interview to Sputnik about the possibility of negotiations between Palestine and Israel.
During the interview, Sputnik asked the Palestinian president about Russia's efforts to arrange a meeting between him and Netanyahu. Is this issue currently being discussed with the Russian side? Do you continue to support direct negotiations with Israel at the highest level? Does the Palestinian Authority have an alternative to counter Israeli settlements?
Mahmoud AbbasWe have repeatedly agreed to meet with Mr. Netanyahu in Moscow at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, who, like all our Russian friends, enjoys our trust. We have been constantly exchanging views with the Russian President and consulting on all the most important issues aimed at advancing the peace process and strengthening bilateral and regional relations. We will do this during our upcoming visit to Russia.
We reaffirm that the path to achieving global peace and security lies in a political solution based on international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. We do not refuse to meet with the Israeli side, but they have turned their backs on the path of peace.
This is especially true of the current Israeli government, which has passed a series of laws that oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state and undermine the prospect of a two-state solution on the ground.
Instead of a peaceful settlement, the Israeli occupation authorities are pursuing a military agenda to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and Jerusalem, but their policy will not succeed. We will continue our work at the United Nations, striving for full membership in the world body and state recognition of the new Palestinian State, and we will continue our political, diplomatic and legal efforts to end the occupation of the territory of the State of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem.
Today, we are focused primarily on ending the Israeli occupation army's war against the Palestinian people, ending the daily massacre and massive destruction. In parallel, we are working together with the Arab states, the members of the Security Council, the EU countries and other interested world powers, with the goal of abandoning the military solutions that Israel tries to impose, and returning to a political solution, ending the war and promoting the achievement of a full and lasting peace.
