Abbas slams punitive US visa denial and Israeli ‘state terrorism’ in UN speech

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas had to give his UN speech remotely this year due to the Donald Trump regime denying him a visa. And apart from calling out this “unlawful, punitive” decision, he slammed Israel’s “state terrorism” and urged the world to help end Israeli crimes and ensure peace in both Palestine and Israel.

US making a mockery of the international community

Abbas called his visa denial a:

violation of the United States’ obligations as the host country

The longstanding leader of the Palestinian Authority criticised the Trump regime for:

punishing the side that has chosen the path of international law, and political and diplomatic action, in order to guarantee its rights

Trump is currently intensifying his campaign against international law, at a point when the UN has raised concerns about potential US war crimes and an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant is still out for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Abbas insisted that:

Our choice to invoke international law is a peaceful and civilised choice

And he implored the US to:

return to dialogue and mutual respect

Abbas: support the rule of law and oppose Israeli “state terrorism”

Amid escalating ethnic cleansing efforts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Abbas called out Israeli “land theft” and the occupying state’s “system of laws, measures and practices all built on racial discrimination, ethnic cleansing and state terrorism”.

He urged the international community to stop dithering and:

protect the Palestinian people, ensure their continued presence on their land, end the Israeli occupation, and implement the two-state solution

He added that:

This solution guarantees peace for all, instead of the threat emanating from Israeli extremism, which seeks to expand its colonial project towards establishing the so-called Greater Israel and completely erasing Palestinian presence.

Calling for the reunification of all occupied Palestinian territories, he insisted:

We want a process that puts an end to occupation and guarantees freedom and self-determination for Palestinians, a process that guarantees also security and peace for Israelis and the countries of the region…

And as he stressed:

We seek a democratic Palestinian state that respects the rule of law and human rights

Many experts believe Israel has already destroyed the possibility of a two-state solution. But Abbas was clearly encouraging global leaders to try and rescue this potential resolution at a time when Israeli actions are threatening:

the very existence of the Palestinian people

Abbas, whom some critics believe has been too friendly with Israeli authorities that clearly don’t respect the Palestinian Authority, seemed to use his speech as an urgent plea to the world to support his government as a force that can bring stability and peace to Palestine and Israel.

Whether the international community will respond to his message with action, however, is another matter entirely.

Featured image via screengrab

By Ed Sykes