Abbas once again rails against Israel after diplomatic meeting
Repeating his charge that Israel was attempting to alter the identity and character of Jerusalem, Abbas warned of turning the conflict from a political to a religious one.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 69th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York, September 26, 2014(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday again accused Israel of carrying out summary executions of Palestinians. He said that frustration and despair were driving Palestinian youths to carry out attacks against Israelis. Abbas, who was speaking to reporters in Ramallah after meeting with visiting Greek Prime Alexis Tsipras, said he briefed his guest on the “intolerable, unacceptable and harsh conditions” of the Palestinians as a result of Israel’s actions.Repeating his charge that Israel was attempting to alter the identity and character of Jerusalem, Abbas warned of turning the conflict from a political to a religious one.Abbas said that the “continuation of Israeli occupation, settler crimes, harassment, arrests and summary executions of our youths, as well as the economic siege against our people and the absence of a political horizon, have all prompted Palestinian youths to respond.” Israel accused the Israeli government of “foiling all chances for peace and destroying the foundations of economic, security and political agreements” with the Palestinians.The Palestinians, he added, do not want negotiations for the sake of negotiating and would not accept provisional or partial solutions. Abbas said that the Palestinians would pursue their efforts to join more international treaties and conventions to salvage the two-state solution. He also reiterated his demand for international protection for the Palestinians