Israel should rethink policies before it is too late: Abbas

CAIRO – 1 January 2018: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed Sunday to foil the “conspiracy” against Jerusalem. “There are red lines and standards that shape our attitude. We will not allow anyone to cross them,” Abbas declared.

Marking the 53rd anniversary of Palestine’s largest faction Fatah, Abbas said, “Israel has to rethink its aggressive policies and procedures against our people, land and holy sites before it is too late.”

Referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on December 6, Abbas responded, “We are facing a new challenge led by the U.S., which is biased and supportive to Israel, violating the place of Jerusalem and its legal and historic situation.”

Abbas stressed that the solution to the crisis has to come in line with resolutions of international legitimacy; the National Councils and the Arab Peace Initiative, all of which “affirm the establishment of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

“We will not accept the status quo. We will not accept the Apartheid system. We will not accept an occupation without cost,” Abbas pledged.

On December 21, 128 countries voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.