Abbas calls for UN “end of apartheid” in Palestine “

US President Donald Trump and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas met in New York on Wednesday in parallel to the UN General Assembly. Both agreed that there is an opportunity to seal an agreement that will end decades of confrontation with Israel. If achieved, Abbas said, it will be the century pact. That apparent optimism was thin when President Abbas stressed the difficulties of resuming the negotiation and settlement of the two States. He called on the multilateral body to work towards “the end of apartheid in Palestine.”

The end of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Abbas said in his address to the General Assembly, is “an integral part of the efforts needed to address” the threat of terrorism and extremism in the region. However, he denounced Israel’s “inclement campaign” of settlements and considered it a “blatant disdain” for the two-state solution. That is why he defended a comprehensive review of the entire peace process to channel it. “We have been entrusted and commended to end apartheid in Palestine,” the Palestinian leader said.

“We have exhausted all possible routes to leave the stranding,” he warned. The Israeli Government, he said, “is well aware that its occupation incites violence and hatred.” What’s more, he warned that religious animosity “worsens.” “Nobody wants a religious war. Our conflict is political, “Abbas said, lamenting the fact that he is pretending there is no Palestinian interlocutor.

The US president himself admitted, despite his optimistic words, that the task is arduous. “We are working hard with everyone involved in peace in the Middle East,” Trump told reporters, “we have a very good opportunity to do so.” Although admitted that it is complex. “I always thought it was the most complex agreement of all,” he reiterated, “so I will do everything in my heart and soul to achieve it.” “Stranger things have happened,” he said.

The bilateral meeting came two hours before Abbas’s speech to the General Assembly. He appreciated that since Trump arrived at the White House the two delegations have held more than 20 meetings. “It’s a test,” he said. He added: “It gives us confidence that real peace can be achieved.

The achievement of peace, as Abbas reiterated before the plenary of the General Assembly, serves the interests of all parties in the region. And in a raised tone of hand, he also emphasized that the Jewish people are celebrating the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) coinciding with the new year of the Muslims. “If it is an indication of something, it is that we can coexist,” he said. “Let’s see what we can do,” Trump concluded.

The US president made it clear that he did not want to promise anything, aware that the talks to achieve a permanent solution to the conflict have been stalled for three years. “Since I was a child I have been hearing about peace in the Middle East,” he lamented, so his great goal in the area of ​​foreign policy is to work so that he can resume bilateral dialogue in the coming months.

The White House, however, avoids detailing its plan. Moreover, its position is not clear either. The US president has already suggested to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the agreement would not have to include the two-state solution. “If it breaks, we have the right to seek alternatives to preserve the existence of our people,” Abas told the UN plenary.