Abbas calls on US to intervene to stop Israeli measures in Palestinian territories
RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on US President Joe Biden and his administration to intervene to stop Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories, mainly in East Jerusalem, reported Xinhua.
Abbas made the request Thursday in a meeting with US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lambert and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The Palestinian news agency (WAFA) said that Abbas told the two US diplomats that "Israel must immediately stop its assaults against the Palestinians and fully respect the legal and historical position of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem." According to WAFA, Abbas held Israel fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian territories, mainly in East Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"Having no political horizon amid Israel's refusal to stop unilateral actions and abide by the signed agreements, the Palestinian leadership will be entitled to implement the decisions of the Central Council of the PLO in the near future," Abbas said.
He warned against the continued Israeli escalation on the ground, including the incursions into Palestinian cities, villages and camps, killings of Palestinians and other "brutal attacks in the West Bank, which will lead to unbearable dire consequences." "It's important to create a political horizon that would lead to an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem," Abbas said, calling for the reopening of the US Consulate in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that since January, 42 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, including women and children. In the meantime, 14 Israelis have been killed in a series of shooting attacks in Israel since March 22.
The two high-ranking US diplomats visited Israel, Jordan and the West Bank in a bid to end a wave of tension in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have flared up in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past few weeks when the Jewish festival of Passover overlaps with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, the latter of whom call it the Temple Mount. - BERNAMA
