Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, stated Saturday that he will be heading to the United Nations, on September 27, for deliberations on the Palestinian request for full Palestinian membership at the General Assembly”, the Arabs48 news website reported.Abbas’ statements came during a press conference in the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
He said that the Palestinian Authority is under enormous international pressure to void its UN move, but added that the P.A. insists on heading to the International Community.
With regards to internal Palestinian politics, Abbas said that reconciliation between all factions means holding elections, and that there can be no dialogue before the Elections Committee is able to go back to Gaza to prepare for elections.
He stated that any country or official who holds a meeting with Ismail Haniyya of Hamas in Gaza, as the Prime Minister of the dissolved government or the representative of the Palestinian people, will be among the elements that are preventing national unity.
“The P.A. signed an agreement with Hamas, in Doha this past February, this agreement was followed by the Cairo agreement”, the president said. “We all agreed to hold national and presidential elections, in addition to holding elections for the Palestinian Central Council”.
Abbas further stated that that P.A. has been waiting for the Elections Committee to be able to go to Gaza, and start its work there, “but for five years, since Hamas took over in 2007, not a single voter has been registered despite the fact that there are 300,000 eligible voters in Gaza”, he concluded.
The Palestinian Authority is facing one of its most difficult financial situations since its establishment in the mid-1990’s as donor countries, including Arab states are not fulfilling their financial commitments, while the United Stations suspended its financial aid and Israel froze the transfer of tax money it collects on behalf of the P.A. on West Bank border terminals as Tel Aviv fully controls all terminals.
Israel and the United States are leading a campaign against the P.A for refusing to resume direct peace talks with Tel Aviv, and for heading to the United Nations last year, as they describe the move as “counterproductive”.
The P.A. said that the ongoing Israeli violations, invasions and settlement construction and expansion activities in the West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem, must be stopped before peace talks can be resumed.
Israel is also refusing to hold talks on the main final status issues, mainly the internationally-guaranteed right of return of the Palestinian refugees, borders, occupied Jerusalem and natural resources.
