Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is also the leader of Fatah and of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), on Sunday delivered his annual speech marking the start of the "revolution" that began on January 1, 1965.
In his speech, Abbas presented the following red lines:
- "There will be no solution except for one based on international resolutions, headed by the UN General Assembly Resolution 19/67, approved on November 29, 2012, UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016, resolutions of the National Councils and the Arab Peace Initiative, all of which confirm the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders whose capital is east Al-Quds.”
- "The implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative depends on Israel ending the occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands, a just and agreed solution to the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with Resolution 194, and first and foremost the achievement of freedom and independence by the Palestinian people.”
- "The plot against Jerusalem will not succeed and we will never allow anyone to violate our national rights and principles."
In recent years, Abbas has made it a habit to continuously impose preconditions on peace talks with Israel instead of sitting down for negotiations as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called on him to do.
In August, Abbas outlined his latest batch of conditions for negotiations with Israel, saying the PA is prepared to return to the negotiating table on the basis of the two-state solution, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the determination that “settlements” on all Palestinian land are illegal.
The PA remains at odds with the United States, which is trying to restart talks with Israel, as it is angry over President Donald Trump’s historic recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on December 6.
Following President Trump’s declaration, senior PA officials warned that Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, would not be welcome in the PA during his visit to the Middle East, originally scheduled for December 18.
