Those agreements are the bedrock of peace in the region and form much of the daily life for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank. He further called on Abbas to enter into direct negotiations with Israel “without preconditions”.
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Abbas called it “a most emotional and proud day”.
Abbas’ comments reflect deep frustration, even desperation.
The latest round of negotiations with Israel for their state failed in April 2014.
“This speech did not meet the expectations of the Palestinian people in comparison to what was said in the media a month ago”, a man identifying himself as Mohammed said. Abbas believes Israel’s actions will lead to a new intifada.
Ahead of Abbas’s speech, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon announced that “there is not, nor will there be, a freeze in settlement construction, given that our legitimacy to settle the land has come under attack”.
He was also quoted in al-Ayyam as stating that Israel must assume all of its responsibilities as an occupying power because the status quo can not continue. Israel “insists on continuing its destruction of the two-state solution and on entrenchment of two regimes on the ground”, he charged.
The practical implications of Abbas’s remarks weren’t clear, as the Palestinian leader has made similar comments in the past while continuing to cooperate with Israel on a few security and economic activities. He didn’t mention any of this in his speech.
Abbas warned that Israel’s “brutal force” on the site would “convert the conflict from a political to a religious one” and create an explosive situation in Jerusalem and all over occupied Palestinian territory.
“This is a threat not a plan”, he said.
Thousands of Abbas supporters gathered in the city centers in several West Bank cities as they listened to Abbas’ speech.
Mainly, he was talking about the Oslo peace accords, which Mr. Abbas’s predecessor, Yasir Arafat, signed in 1993 and 1995 with Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli leader who was later assassinated by an extremist Jew.
On 10 September, the General Assembly voted almost unanimously to allow the Palestinians to fly their national flag at the United Nations – a move that upset the Israelis.
In contrast to the Palestinians, the Holy See flag was raised outside United Nations headquarters alongside flags of the 193 United Nations member states without fanfare or ceremony just before Pope Francis arrived last Friday to address the General Assembly.
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Israel’s prime minister went to the United Nations on Thursday to call for an immediate resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians and to savage the global community’s nuclear deal with Iran.
