PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to the U.S. to help stop Israel from its planned invasion of Rafah as diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire remain futile.
In a heartfelt speech, Abbas told world leaders of the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, for critical humanitarian aid to reach the most affected civilians, and to prevent the displacement of millions of Palestinians from their own country. He also called for a political solution that will unite Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem into one independent state, which Palestine has been requesting multiple times since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to Abbas, what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank has exceeded what has taken place in Germany and other European countries during the Second World War, with 75 percent of the territory destroyed in the past six months. He also warned of Israel’s looming invasion of Rafah and asked the United States to intervene by convincing the Jewish state from staging the attack.
“Allow me to tell you at the end what is happening in Gaza and what will happen in the next few days… the only country that can prevent Israel from perpetrating that crime,” Mahmoud Abbas Palestinian President said.
Abbas once again brought up Palestine’s request to be granted full membership in the United Nations and the recognition of Palestine’s statehood just like Israel and other countries. He added that only then can Palestinians sit peacefully with Israelis to talk about borders.
“To consider it a full member of the United Nations, and thus, to acknowledge the State of Palestine… similarly to all peoples of the world,” Abbas added.
More than a million Palestinians who were displaced by the war are seeking refuge in Rafah. Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah is not only to take revenge for the deadly attack on October 7, 2023 but also to destroy the remaining Hamas strongholds and retrieve hostages in the Palestinian city.
Israel did not send any representative to the global meeting in Saudi Arabia. More than a week ago, the U.S. vetoed a resolution that recommended Palestine be granted full membership to the United Nations – a move that earned criticisms from Arab countries.
