Asia

Home page

Asia

Palestinian president urges world not to recognize Israeli state

13 December 2017 11:43 (UTC +04:00)

The OIC member states should reconsider their relations with the United States, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas made the remarks in Istanbul Dec. 13 at the opening ceremony of the extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the issue of Jerusalem, an APA correspondent reported from Istanbul.

He noted that EU’s ban on the purchase of goods produced in the territories occupied by Israel is not fully implemented.

“The OIC member states can also make a similar decision. The government of Palestine suspended relations with the U.S. consulate. This is a difficult step,” said Abbas, calling on Muslim countries to take such a step.

The Palestinian leader also urged world countries to annul decision on recognizing the Israeli state. “Since its establishment, Israel has not implemented a single UN resolution,” he stressed.

Abbas reiterated Palestine’s support for a two-state solution.

He pointed out that the number of states that recognize Palestine is greater than the number of those that recognize Israel.

“Despite the U.S. veto, Palestine will continue its consistent activity to become a member of the UN,” Abbas pledged.

He warned that ‘Palestine will not follow the friendship agreement with Israel if the latter does not respect it.’

“Our territories are under occupation, we will demand Israel to implement sewerage and other infrastructure projects. If an association with a budget of one billion dollars is created, then we will be able to ensure the continuation of the education of youth in Jerusalem,” the Palestinian leader concluded.