RAMALLAH, Wednesday, November 10, 2021 – President Mahmoud Abbas said this evening that it is time for the international community to change its approach toward the Israeli occupation authorities by moving beyond statements of condemnation and taking concrete, practical steps.

In a speech marking the 17th anniversary of the passing of President Yasser Arafat, President Abbas said that “this anniversary comes as our just national cause is going through a very delicate stage, perhaps the most difficult in our history of struggle.”

He stressed that “it is neither reasonable nor acceptable for the occupation to continue suffocating us forever, nor is it reasonable for us to remain committed to agreements that Israel does not abide by.”

Addressing the legacy of Arafat, President Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to national unity, saying: “On this painful anniversary, the anniversary of the martyr Yasser Arafat, we renew our adherence to the unity of our people and our call to form a national unity government in which all participating factions commit to the international legitimacy recognized by the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and to preserving the independence of our national decision.”

He added: “I say to my brother and comrade, the martyr Yasser Arafat, to all his fellow martyrs and leaders, and to the prisoners and the wounded, that we remain committed to the path for which you sacrificed your lives. Despite all difficulties, the occupation will end, and we will achieve freedom and independence in our sovereign Palestinian state on our national soil.”