RAMALLAH, Saturday, June 11, 2022 – President Mahmoud Abbas said today that the current situation is no longer sustainable in the absence of a political horizon, international protection for the Palestinian people, and in light of Israel’s failure to meet its obligations under signed agreements and international legitimacy resolutions.

Speaking during a meeting with a U.S. delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, President Abbas stated:
“Our goal is to end the occupation on the basis of international legitimacy resolutions. East Jerusalem is, and will forever remain, the capital of the State of Palestine.”

He highlighted that the daily storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Israeli settlers, the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians from Jerusalem, home demolitions, and the deliberate killing of Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces have become a grim daily reality under military occupation.

President Abbas affirmed:
“We will not compromise on our national principles, and we will remain steadfast on our land. It is time for the occupation to end.”

He stressed that the Palestinian leadership is preparing to take measures to confront Israeli escalation, given the international community’s inability to compel Israel to abide by international resolutions and halt its policies of ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination.

The President also underscored the need to: i)Remove the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, ii)Reopen the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem and iii) Reopen the PLO office in Washington. These steps, he said, are essential to restoring a credible and full partnership in the peace process and to halting all unilateral measures.