Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday said Palestine still believes in peace on the basis of the principle of a two-state solution, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Speaking at a meeting with a delegation from the Israeli "Peace Now" movement at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, Abbas said: "Peace must be reached no matter how great the challenges and difficulties it faces, for a better future for our children and our youth from both peoples."
"Despite all the difficult circumstances surrounding us, we still believe in peace on the basis of the resolutions of international legitimacy and the principle of a two-state solution to establish our civil state, which works to spread culture and peace in the world," he said
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday praised Egypt's role in mediating an inter-Palestinian reconciliation.Abbas met a high-level delegation from the Egyptian intelligence service in the West Bank city of Ramallah according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.Emphasizing the role of Cairo to end the Palestinian division, Abbas said: "We adhere to Egypt's role of mediation in inter-Palestinian reconciliation."Meanwhile, the head of the delegation of the Egyptian intelligence service Amr Hanefi said Egypt would continue its efforts to maintain its role of mediation, to ensure Palestinian internal reconciliation and to ensure national unity under Abbas's leadership.The two sides agreed to maintain communication between the Palestinian and Egyptian leaders and to overcome the factors that prevent concrete achievements.Saturday’s visit comes amid ongoing efforts by Cairo to both reach a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza-based resistance groups and achieve reconciliation between rival Palestinian political factions.In recent weeks, Hamas has been mulling proposals -- tabled by Egypt and the UN -- for inter-Palestinian reconciliation, a Hamas-Israel truce, and humanitarian projects in the blockaded Gaza Strip.Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreements have failed to bear fruit due to ongoing differences between the two factions.
Palestine bound to Egypt's mediation: President Abbas
Abbas recalled that the contacts with the U.S. administration have been cut since President Donald Trump announced the transfer of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, declaring it the capital of Israel, and trying to redefine the Palestinian refugee in violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Trump, however, sparked international uproar for his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The Arab League on Saturday condemned a U.S. decision to end funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.In a statement, the Cairo-based league said the U.S. move “reflects a desire to take the issue of Jerusalem and refugees off the negotiating table between the Palestinians and Israelis”.“Washington will be responsible for the great harms caused by this decision to around five million Palestinian refugees who are dependent on the agency aid,” Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said.On Friday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington "will no longer commit further funding" to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).Palestinians decry US decision to end aid for agencyAboul-Gheit said the U.S. decision will not only harm the refugees, but also the host countries.He said the decision “complicates the problems in the Middle East and does not help bring stabilityThe U.S. was by far UNRWA's largest funder, giving $350 million annually, or about one-quarter of the agency's budget.Established in 1949, UNRWA provides critical aid to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.Turkey slams US decision to end UNRWA funding
Arab League slams US aid cut to UN Palestine agency
The Palestinians have snubbed calls from the Trump administration to return to the negotiating table, arguing that Washington gave up its status as a neutral mediator by making the declaration.
About the U.S. decisions to end funding for he United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Abbas stressed that this issue must be resolved in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.
On Friday, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington "will no longer commit further funding" to the UNRWA.
Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik slammed a move by Washington to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).“The U.S. decision to end aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency will provoke chaos and worsen the situation in the region. Every step that blocks the solution of the Palestine issue affects the whole world. The U.S. supports discord,” Çelik said on Friday.“The entire world must stand united against this unjust move by the U.S., like it did regarding the Jerusalem issue in the past. The best response is to increase financial aid to the UNRWA,” he added.Çelik’s comments came after the Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement dubbing the U.S. move “greatly disappointing.”Palestinians decry US decision to end aid for agencyIn the first reaction by Turkey to the American decision, a written statement by the ministry criticized the American decision to cut its aid to the UNRWA, noting that it will “negatively affect the lives of over five million Palestinians.”“This decision will at the same time damage regional peace and stability, and the prospect of finding a two-state political solution to the Palestinian issue.”“Over 500,000 Palestinian children receive education at UNRWA schools and close to one million Palestinians depend on UNRWA’s urgent food aid for sustenance,” the statement read.State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert announced on Friday that Washington "will no longer commit further funding" to the UNRWA.US cuts all funding for UN's Palestine refugee agencyThe U.S. was by far UNRWA's largest funder, giving $350 million annually, or about one-quarter of the agency's budget.The agency is responsible for a number of critical programs for the more than five million Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It provides them with schooling, health services and food security, among other services.UNRWA earlier this week warned that if Washington went through with its funding cut, it would likely result in greater instability in the region.
Turkey slams US decision to cut UNRWA funding
The U.S. was by far UNRWA's largest funder, giving $350 million annually, or about one-quarter of the agency's budget.
Earlier last week, UNRWA had warned if Washington went through with its funding cut it would likely result in greater instability.
Established in 1949, UNRWA provides critical aid to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Israeli soldiers fired live rounds at Palestinian protesters, injuring 52 on the 23rd Friday of anti-occupation rallies that began in March.In a statement, Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinians were injured at the eastern Gaza border.A volunteer medical worker and a 10-year-old child were in serious condition, the statement said, adding 188 Palestinians had also been affected by teargas.The protesters are demanding the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.They are also demanding an end to Israel’s 11-year blockade of the Gaza Strip which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its 2 million inhabitants of basic commodities.Since the Gaza rallies began on March 30, more than 170 Palestinian protesters have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.Video: Israeli forces intervene in Palestinian protesters in Ramallah19 Palestinians martyred in August: Research centerIsrael would pay ‘heavy price’ for Gaza war: LiebermanIsraeli army arrests 16 Palestinians in West Bank raids
Israeli troops fire on Gaza protesters, wounding 52