Media Wire

Abbas gives Israel ultimatum to withdraw from Palestinian territory

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gave Israel one year to withdraw from the decades-long occupied Palestinian territory.

Abbas accused Israel on Friday of destroying the two-state solution with actions he said could lead Palestinians to demand equal rights within one binational state comprising Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Addressing the UN General Assembly via video link from the West Bank, Abbas, 85, urged the international community to act to save the two-state formula that for decades has been the bedrock of diplomacy for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abbas added Israel was “destroying the prospect of a political settlement based on the two-state solution” through its settlements on West Bank land it captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Most countries view the settlements as illegal, a position Israel disputes.

“If the Israeli occupation authorities continue to entrench the reality of one apartheid state as is happening today, our Palestinian people and the entire world will not tolerate such a situation,” Abbas said, as Israel rejects accusations of apartheid.

“Circumstances on the ground will inevitably impose equal and full political rights for all on the land of historical Palestine, within one state. In all cases, Israel has to choose,” Abbas added from Ramallah, the seat of his Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in the West Bank.

There was no immediate Israeli comment on Abbas’ remarks.

Critics say internal Palestinian divisions have also contributed to the deadlock in US-sponsored peace talks, which collapsed in 2014.

Under interim peace accords with Israel, Abbas’ PA was meant to exercise control in Gaza as well. But Hamas seized the coastal enclave in 2007 and years of on-and-off talks have failed to break their impasse.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a far-rightist who sits atop a cross-partisan coalition, opposes Palestinian statehood. His government has vowed to avoid sensitive choices towards the Palestinians and instead focus on economic issues.

In his UN address, Abbas threatened to rescind the Palestinians’ recognition of Israel if it does not withdraw from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem within a year.

“If this is not achieved, why maintain recognition of Israel based on the 1967 borders? Why maintain this recognition?” Abbas stressed.

While some Palestinians and Israelis support the idea of a single binational state, most have very different ideas of what that entity would look like and how it would be governed.

Most analysts contend a single state would not be viable, for religious, political and demographic reasons. Israeli governments have viewed a one-state concept as undermining the essence of an independent Jewish state.

US President Joe Biden reiterated his support for the two-state solution during his own UN address on Tuesday, saying it would ensure “Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic state living in peace alongside a viable and democratic Palestinian state”.

Source: Reuters

IFP Media Wire

Reports and views published in the Media Wire section have been retrieved from other news agencies and websites, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website. The IFP may change the headlines of the reports in a bid to make them compatible with its own style of covering Iran News, and does not make any changes to the content. The source and URL of all reports and news stories are mentioned at the bottom of each article.

Recent Posts

Iran lifts Ban on WhatsApp, Google Play in a landmark decision

In a significant move towards greater digital accessibility, the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, chaired by…

6 hours ago

One child gets killed every hour in Gaza: UN

The United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has announced that 14,500 Palestinian children have…

9 hours ago

Several killed in blast at explosives factory in Turkey

At least 12 people were killed and three others wounded after a blast rocked an…

9 hours ago

Zelensky claims over 3k North Korean soldiers killed, wounded in Russia

The number of killed and injured North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk…

9 hours ago

Iran Judiciary: No complains lodged against ex-FM Zarif over dual citizenship

The spokesperson for Iran’s Judiciary clarified that no complaints have been filed against former Foreign…

9 hours ago

Iran to unveil first AI-equipped oil well

The Iranian Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy has announced the inauguration of…

12 hours ago