President Abbas sends identical letters rejecting Netanyahu’s post-war principles

RAMALLAH: In a series of identical letters sent to heads of states, prime ministers, and heads of organizations and unions, President Mahmoud Abbas affirmed this evening the State of Palestine's unequivocal rejection the principles declared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "the day after the war" on the Gaza Strip. President Abbas warned against the dangerous implications of Netanyahu's principles which defy international stances and efforts to achieve a ceasefire, and which call for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid, including food, medical assistance, and essential needs. In his letters, the President called for urgent international intervention to stop the Israeli war of starvation on Gaza - exacerbated by the spread of epidemics - and to provide shelter for over 1.8 million displaced Palestinians, ensuring their return to their homes, especially in the northern Gaza Strip. He also called for urgent international intervention to reopen the hospit als and schools in the war-torn enclave, a move that the President said necessitates the continuous work and funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to fulfill its mandate. President Abbas stated, "Netanyahu's plan for the day after, including the announcement of building thousands of new settlement housing units, reflects his government's declared policies that deny the Palestinian people and insist on imposing Israeli sovereignty over the entire land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River." He added that "the goal of this extreme Israeli government is not only to undermine the chances of achieving peace based on a two-state solution but also to intensify ethnic cleansing campaigns and the displacement of Palestinians from both the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, along with attacking the identity, character, and sacred sites of Jerusalem." The President warned that this could lead to a "potentially explosive outcome." "Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and we are ready to take the necessary steps to assume governance responsibilities in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. We are also ready to work on establishing security, peace, and stability in the region within the framework of a comprehensive peace plan," President Abbas affirmed. He called for continued support for Palestine's pursuit of full UN membership through a resolution from the UN Security Council, calling for the convening of an international peace conference to adopt a comprehensive peace plan with international guarantees and a timeline for implementing the end of the Israeli occupation of the land of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA