President Mahmoud Abbas declared tonight an end to working on all the signed agreements with Israel.
He said at an urgent meeting for the Palestinian leadership held in Ramallah and called for following Israel’s demolition of 10 Palestinian buildings in Sur Baher neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem that displaced Palestinian civilians that the leadership decided to stop work on the agreements signed with Israel and the formation of a committee to implement this decision as called for by the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Central Council.
“We will not succumb to the dictates and the imposing of a fait accompli on the ground with brute force, specifically in Jerusalem,” he said. “All that the (Israeli) occupation state is doing is illegal and void.”
The President said: “Our hands have been and are still extended to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. But this does not mean that we accept the status quo or surrender to the measures of the occupation. We will not surrender and we will not coexist with the occupation, nor will we accept the ‘deal of the century.’ Palestine and Jerusalem are not for sale or bargain. They are not a real estate deal in a real estate company.”
He stressed that “there will be no peace, no security, and no stability in our region and the world without our people achieving their rights in full. No matter how much time it takes, the repugnant occupation is going to be defeated and our future state will be independent.”
The President thanked all the friendly and brotherly countries of the world that stand by the Palestinian people and their just cause in international forums. However, he added, “we want to see practical steps and implementation of United Nations resolutions on the ground, even once.”
He stressed that the time has come to implement the Cairo 2017 agreement for intra-Palestinian reconciliation mediated by Egypt. “We do not want to return to the tragic results of the Moscow meeting when Hamas refused to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization, which put it in line with Israel and the United States on this matter.
“My hand is extended for reconciliation and it is time to get more serious,” he said.
Following is an unofficial translation of President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech at the leadership meeting tonight.
“Our great Palestinian people in the homeland and the Diaspora, peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings.
“In the light of the Israeli occupation’s demolition of dozens of homes for our people in East Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the State of Palestine, and the displacement of hundreds of innocent citizens from Sur Baher and others who have become homeless in a clear Israeli violation of international law, as usual, and in violation of United Nations resolutions and the signed agreements between us and them, in what we can only describe as ethnic cleansing and a crime against humanity that cannot be tolerated – even though the issue of ethnic cleansing has ended in all over the world after South Africa, it nevertheless has remained until today in Israel under US auspices.
“In honor of our martyrs, prisoners and the suffering of our people that has been living under the longest occupation in our modern history on the land of the occupied state of Palestine, and in the name of the Palestinian refugees everywhere and their right to return to their homes, we say clearly: We will not succumb to dictates and the imposed fait accompli on the ground with brute force, specifically in Jerusalem and elsewhere. The entire Palestinian land is sacred. The rest of the cities and villages are no less sacred than the Jerusalem.
“We say clearly: We will not yield to the dictates and the imposition of the status quo on the ground by brute force, specifically in Jerusalem, and all the actions of the occupying state are illegal and null and void.
“The American administration, through its policies biased toward Israel and its attempts to change international terms of reference through its deal of the century, provides cover for Israeli violations against our people, which we have rejected and will continue to reject in compliance with international law, UN resolutions and the interests of our people and their rights. Our Palestinian people, with their steadfastness and peaceful popular resistance, are going to foil the Israeli and American plans alike.
“No matter how long it takes, this abhorrent occupation will be defeated from our land and our future state will be established, God willing. There is no peace, no security and no stability in our region and the whole world without our Palestinian people achieving their full rights.
“In this context, we reaffirm once again that we have not delegated anyone to speak on behalf of the State of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of our Palestinian people, the only legitimate one with no partner. The Arab nation is our brothers and stakeholders in the Palestinian cause. But we make the first decision.
“The Israeli occupation authority has decided to ignore all its obligations in accordance with the agreements signed with it. It continues to kill Palestinian citizens, arrest them, demolish their houses and confiscate their lands. In addition, the roads are closed with hundreds of barriers and the walls that cut off the Palestinian land. An apartheid system is imposed, which the whole world has rejected it. This apartheid, which ended 30 years ago from all over the world, remains here supervised by America. And finally the piracy of Palestinian funds.
“On the other hand, the settlers, supported by the occupying state, continue to wage attacks on the lives and property of our people in their towns and villages, and on our Christian and Islamic holy places, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which cannot be tolerated. Our people must not tolerate it and they must stop it by all legitimate means. They must face anyone who wants to attack us. Enough is enough.
“Our hands have been and are still extended to peace, because we believe in a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. But this does not mean in any way that we accept the continuation of the status quo or surrender to the policies and measures of occupation. I reiterate that we will not surrender, we will not coexist with the occupation and we will not deal with the deal of deal of the century, or the slap of the century or the deal of shame – all names for one title. Palestine and Jerusalem are not for sale and bargain. They are not a real estate deal in a real estate company.
“While we thank all those countries and peoples of the world who stand by us for the attainment of our rights, we call upon the international community to assume its responsibilities in warding off the Israeli aggression against our people and ending its occupation of our state by implementing its decisions.
“Yesterday there was a Security Council meeting; 14 countries spoke in one language and the United States spoke its own language. (Jason) Greenblatt comes out to say: Palestinians are isolated. I want to know who is isolated? Us or them? Are they standing against 14 countries or are we? We have 14 other countries with us, and we have 135 countries (the Group of 77 and China) and 140 countries recognizing us. So who is in isolation? US or America? Yet, we say to the world, we want action. Thank you for your position on the two state solution and the occupation and the 1967 borders, but we want practical steps, even once, to implement the UN resolutions, whether in the Security Council, where there are 86 resolutions. Choose any resolution and implement it. Or any of the 700 resolutions of the General Assembly. Take any decision and implemented. But unfortunately no resolution was implemented. At the same time we are talking about the international legality and international justice. I think this is unacceptable in the twenty-first century.
“We say to our brothers in Gaza: The time has come for the implementation of the 2017 agreement. You are the ones who started the dialogue, and Egypt, thankfully, supervised this dialogue and all the Arabs accept this agreement. We agree and then we apply it. When we say we want to confront Israel as one force, where are you? We do want to return to the tragic situation of the Moscow meeting when you refused to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and you were in line with Israel and the United States. The whole world is talking about two states and the whole world is in agreement with Resolution 2334 and the whole world is in agreement with the resolutions of the General Assembly on the State of Palestine since we became an observer member. Yet you say no to the PLO. Whom do you stand with? I still have a hand extended for reconciliation and I want reconciliation and I have an interest in reconciliation. But to stay that way and talk about side and marginal issues, I think it’s time to be more serious.
“In the light of what took place in the meeting of the leadership today from deliberations, and in light of the insistence of the occupation authority on the denial of all the signed agreements and their obligations, we declare the decision of the leadership to stop working by the agreements signed with the Israeli side and start laying out mechanisms – starting tomorrow – to establish a committee to implement this in accordance with the decisions of the Palestinian Central Council.”
— Source: wafa
