Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, on Sunday urged the African Union member states and its officials to support the French initiative to organize an international peace conference aimed at reaching a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In a speech at the African Union’s 27th summit held in Kigali, Rwanda, Abbas said that the African Union had an important role to play in promoting peace in the region due to its influence both at the regional and international levels, Ma’an stated.
Abbas also applauded the African Union for supporting the Palestinian people in their efforts to end Israel’s occupation stating, “Our hands are extended for peace with our neighbors, to be achieved through legal and peaceful means based on international resolutions”.
Abbas urges African Union to support the French Initiative https://t.co/LGoue66aUx via @MaanNewsAgency
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Peace, he added, can only be reached if the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory comes to an end and an independent Palestinian state be established with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian president reiterated his view that the Middle East Quartet “failed once again”, referring to the recently released report by the Quartet that he said “undermines resolutions made by legitimate international bodies.”
The Quartet’s report, he added, did not reflect the reality of Palestinian life under occupation and only functioned to encourage Israel to continue its “oppression and violations of international law.”
(MA’AN)
