Abbas: Normalization between Arabs, Israel won’t achieve peace
The PA president also said that peace can be achieved only on the basis of international resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHPresident Mahmoud Abbas gestures during a meeting with the Palestinian leadership to discuss the United Arab Emirates' deal with Israel to normalize relations, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank August 18, 2020(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN/POOL)
Normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab countries will not achieve peace and stability in the region, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday.“There will be no peace, security and stability in our region without ending the Israeli occupation of our land and the Palestinian people obtaining their freedom and independence in their sovereign state on the 1967 borders,” he told visiting British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.Referring to the recent normalization accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Abbas said during his meeting with Raab: “Peace will not be achieved by bypassing the Palestinians through the normalization of relations with the Arab countries.”He rejected the notion of peace for peace, dubbing it an illusion. Peace can be achieved only on the basis of international resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, he added.Abbas said he had told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson he was committed to achieving peace in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy. He said he was ready to return to the negotiating table with Israel under the auspices of the Quartet, which consists of the US, UN, Russia and the EU, and with the participation of other countries.Abbas said he had also affirmed to Johnson the Palestinians’ commitment to fight global terrorism.“We appreciate all the aid Britain provides to support the building of our institutions and boosting our national economy,” he said. “We say that it is time for Britain to recognize the Palestinian state, as this will help achieve justice and the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders, so that Palestine and Israel can live in security and peace.”During his meeting with Abbas, Raab said, he had underlined Britain’s “friendship and support for a two-state solution.”He had encouraged the Palestinians to resume cooperation with Israel – “a key step in improving the situation in the West Bank and Gaza and securing peace in the Middle East,” Raab said.
