Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory must be ended by a political solution.
According to Palestine's official news agency WAFA, Abbas stressed the importance of resolving all permanent status issues, including the refugee issue, and the release of all prisoners, under the auspices of the International Quartet and under international resolutions, during a meeting with Blinken in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday.
The Palestinian President urged the United States to follow through on its commitment to the two-state solution by halting Israeli settlement and settlers' assaults, protecting the historical position in East Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, and forbidding Israel's unilateral activities. He also asked that the US consulate in East Jerusalem be reopened, as well as that US laws labelling the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as a "terrorist organisation that fosters incitement" be abolished.
Abbas informed US Secretary of State John Kerry that recent events in Europe revealed "blatant double standards, notwithstanding the atrocities of the Israeli occupation." "The continuation of unilateral Israeli measures will soon lead to the implementation of the Palestinian Central Council decisions calling for the termination of commitments to all agreements reached with Israel."
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