RAMALLAH: President Mahmoud Abbas called yesterday night on the US administration to intervene promptly and urgently in the face of Israeli measures in the occupied Palestinian areas, particularly at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in occupied Jerusalem.
The President made the announcement at a meeting with Yael Lambert, the Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and Hadi Amr, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs. The conference took place at the presidential compound in Ramallah.
During the meeting, the President emphasised the importance of an immediate halt to Israeli attacks and full respect for the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, holding the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation.
The President stated that “given the absence of a political horizon and Israel’s unwillingness to halt unilateral acts and abide by signed accords, the Palestinian leadership would soon be forced to execute PLO Central Council decisions.”
President Abbas also emphasised the importance of establishing a political horizon that would lead to the end of Israel’s occupation of the territory of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and called for the reopening of the US Consulate in Jerusalem, as the current US administration has pledged.
The conference was attended by PLO Executive Committee Member Hussein Al-Sheikh, the head of the General Intelligence Service, Major General Majid Faraj, President Abbas’ official spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, and the President’s diplomatic advisor, Majdi Al-Khalidi.
