https://arab.news/mwznw
- Palestinian leader says ending Israel’s occupation and creating a Palestinian state are essential to peace
- Abbas backs ceasefire efforts and calls for reconstruction to begin in Gaza
LONDON: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday that ending Israel’s occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital are the only path to a just and lasting peace.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Abbas said any broader regional integration with Israel must be tied to Palestinian statehood and conform to international law, UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, the Palestinian Authority’s news agency WAFA reported.
He said Palestinians would remain on their land and reject displacement, the seizure of occupied territory and Israeli settlement expansion. Abbas described the settlements as illegal and invalid under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334.
Turning to the war in Gaza, Abbas praised Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar and the US for efforts to secure a ceasefire, increase humanitarian aid and lay the groundwork for recovery and reconstruction.
He said he supports international efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803 in a manner that ends Israel’s military campaign, returns the Palestinian Authority to Gaza and opens a political process.
Abbas said Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine and that any future arrangements for the territory must be made through Palestinian institutions to preserve the unity of the Palestinian political system and its sovereign institutions.
The Palestinian Authority, he said, continues to pay salaries and provide basic services in Gaza despite a worsening financial crisis and Israel’s withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues, which Abbas said now exceed $6 billion.
He also reaffirmed plans to hold legislative elections Nov. 28, followed by a meeting of the Palestinian National Council and presidential elections in 2027. Abbas said the elections are part of a broader national reform program.
In discussions with Erdogan, Abbas also raised what he called a dangerous escalation by Israel in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. He cited military raids, settler violence, settlement expansion, incursions at Muslim and Christian holy sites, and economic restrictions.
He also voiced support for the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, saying he hoped it would strengthen regional security and stability.
Israeli violence in the West Bank has intensified since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, which followed a Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Palestinian communities have faced increased violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers, while settlement expansion has continued, including the establishment of new outposts, according to UN agencies and media reports.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a recent situation report that 1,122 Palestinians, including at least 246 children, were killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem between Oct. 7, 2023, and July 24, 2026.
Seventy-six of those deaths occurred in 2026.