President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he will be forced into contact with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is again tasked with forming the Israeli government. He said this in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. According to Abbas, "he has no other choice because this politician represents the state occupying Palestinian land."
"I have known Netanyahu since the 1990s, and I will have to deal with him again," he pointed out. - "In the event of resuming negotiations, I will defend the inalienable rights of the Palestinians." Abbas stressed that based on his experience with Netanyahu in previous years, he concluded that "this Israeli politician does not believe in the possibility of a peaceful solution to the conflict."
Palestinian-Israeli talks broke down in 2014 over Israel's refusal to stop building illegal Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed efforts to improve the quality of life for the Palestinian people in his November 5 call with Abbas. He urged the sides to address the de-escalation of tensions in the Palestinian territories as soon as possible.
According to the Palestinian ministry of health, more than 150 Arabs have been killed in clashes with Israeli security forces and settlers since the beginning of the year.
On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu, who headed the government in Israel from 1996 to 1999 and then from 2009 to 2021, received a mandate to form a new cabinet. He said he expects new peace agreements between the Jewish state and Arab countries.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS