Abbas welcomes Egypt's plan for Gaza

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed his support for the Egyptian plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing Palestinians from it. He also expressed his readiness to hold presidential and parliamentary elections next year, if the conditions are right.

Abbas pointed out that the necessary plans have been put in place to provide basic services for the return of the Palestinian people in Gaza to their homes, in preparation for reconstruction with the contribution of allies around the world.

He stressed that the priority is to strengthen and establish the ceasefire, provide humanitarian aid, the complete withdrawal the Israeli occupation forces, and have the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) assume its full responsibilities in Gaza, as well as stopping all unilateral Israeli actions, including the expansion of illegal settlements and attempts to annex Palestinian lands in the occupation West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Abbas also emphasised the need for the international community, headed by the UN and the Security Council, to uphold their responsibilities in obligating the Israeli occupation to stop its ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people, their land and their holy sites, and to stop the settlement, annexation and racist expansion projects that defy international resolutions and international law.

Arab leaders yesterday adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave, in contrast to US President Donald Trump’s vision of displacing Palestinians and creating a “Middle East Riviera” in the Strip.

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