RAMALLAH, February 18, 2023 – President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call today from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which the two discussed the latest developments in Palestine in light of Israel’s violations of signed agreements and international legitimacy resolutions.

President Abbas briefed Secretary Blinken on Palestine’s decision to seek action in the United Nations Security Council in response to Israel’s continued violations of signed agreements.

He stressed the need for Israel to immediately cease all unilateral measures, including settlement construction, home demolitions, raids on cities and villages, and the extrajudicial killing of Palestinians.

The President urged the U.S. administration to take immediate and effective steps to press Israel to halt these dangerous practices and to help create a political horizon that would pave the way for implementing the two-state solution and relevant international resolutions.

For his part, Secretary Blinken affirmed that he would reach out to the Israeli government in an effort to stop the unilateral actions on the ground.