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Abbas hails ‘courageous’ Riyadh for pressing Palestinian state

The Palestinian Authority boss welcomed "the kingdom's rejection of Israeli colonialism [and] calls for displacement and annexation."

Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech at P.A. headquarters in Ramallah, Jan. 28, 2020. Credit: Flash90.
Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech at P.A. headquarters in Ramallah, Jan. 28, 2020. Credit: Flash90.

Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday thanked Saudi Arabia for contradicting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Riyadh was not conditioning normalization with Israel on the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“Abbas welcomed what was issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning regarding the kingdom’s rejection of Israeli colonialism, calls for displacement and annexation, and any projects that affect the just and legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is their right to self-determination, and the embodiment of the Palestinian state on the ground with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, which is indispensable for achieving peace in the region,” Abbas said, as reported by Ramallah’s official Wafa news agency.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry released a statement saying, “His Royal Highness emphasized that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that.”

Sitting alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump addressed Saudi-Israeli ties while answering questions from journalists on the subject.

“Well, we’re going to see, and we’re dealing with a lot of people, and we have steps to go yet, as you know. And maybe those steps go forward, and maybe they don’t. We’re dealing with a very complex group of people. Situation and people,” the president said.

Asked whether the Saudis are demanding Palestinian statehood in exchange for normalization of ties with Israel, Trump said no.

“No. No, they’re not. Everybody’s demanding one thing. You know what it is? Peace,” he said.

Abbas hailed the “courageous and honorable Saudi positions, in addition to the great support provided by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian people, the latest of which is the ongoing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, in addition to the continuous support for the Palestinian cause in international forums, the establishment of the international coalition to mobilize recognition of the State of Palestine, and the holding of the international peace conference next June.”

(On Dec. 3, the U.N. General Assembly voted to hold a conference in New York on the implementation of a two-state solution on June 2-4, preceded by a preparatory meeting to be held in May. France and Saudi Arabia are to co-chair the conference.)

On Tuesday, Trump again called on Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept Gazans, asserting that Palestinians had no choice but to leave the coastal enclave, which has been devastated by nearly 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

While Amman and Cairo have rejected previous calls by Trump for them to accept Gazans, Trump said on Tuesday that “I think Jordan and Egypt will, I know they’ve spoken about it with you and they say they’re not going to accept it. I say they will. But I think that other countries will accept also.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohamad Mustafa on Wednesday emphasized the need to rebuild Gaza without displacing its residents.

Following their meeting in Cairo, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry stated that Mustafa presented a comprehensive plan for debris removal and reconstruction in collaboration with international organizations.

While not addressing Trump’s remarks directly, both men called for accelerating reconstruction and aid delivery while ensuring Palestinians remain in Gaza.

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