RAMALLAH, Thursday, October 28, 2021 – President Mahmoud Abbas received today his Swiss counterpart, Guy Parmelin, who is on an official visit to Palestine, and discussed with him the latest political developments, foremost among them the illegal Israeli settlement activities.

President Abbas also briefed Parmelin on Israel’s plans to forcibly evict Palestinian families in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, the illegal Jewish prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied capital, and Israel’s recent designation of six Palestinian human rights organizations as “terrorist” groups.

During the meeting, the President called on all countries that support the two-state solution and recognize the State of Israel to also recognize the State of Palestine as an independent nation.

Speaking about Palestinian–US relations, the President said: “We are in contact with the US government. We have heard good statements from President Joe Biden, including his support for the two-state solution, his commitment to respecting the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, his rejection of the displacement of Palestinians in Jerusalem, his rejection of settlement activities, and his opposition to all unilateral actions.”

On the broader issue of the occupation, President Abbas added: “The current situation is very dangerous. We extend our hand to the Israelis to implement confidence-building steps and then begin a political process based on the two-state solution. Otherwise, we have other options that we will pursue. I emphasize that we will not resort to violence—this is not our policy—but we cannot continue living under occupation forever, especially when we are the only people in the world still living under occupation.”