Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for the establishment of a multilateral mechanism - hinting that the United States be part of it - to launch a new peace process.
During a joint press conference in Ramallah on Thursday with visiting Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Abbas said: “The United States is no longer exclusively qualified to play the role of mediator. We call for an international peace conference and the establishment of a multilateral mechanism to move forward.”
“The European Union and the members of the Security Council have an important role to play so that the Palestinian people can enjoy their freedom and independence in their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along with the state of Israel in security and good neighborliness,” he added.
The Palestinian president accused the United States of encouraging Israel to “act as a state above the law.”
“What encourages Israel to act as a state above the law is the US administration's support and its blind bias towards the [Israeli] occupation,” he emphasized.
Abbas had announced his plan for a multilateral mediation for the peace process before the Security Council last year. He called for an international peace conference that would bring about a multilateral-international mechanism, which he said would help both sides in the negotiations to solve all permanent issues, including the status of Jerusalem, based on the Oslo Agreement.
Palestinian presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina said on Thursday that peace, stability and security would not be achieved through “the so-called deal of the century and Israel’s actions that violate all resolutions of international legitimacy.”
“The main address for achieving peace is the seat of the presidency in the city of Ramallah. The address is President Mahmoud Abbas - not as a person - but as the symbol of the homeland, the people and the constants of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which we will not abandon,” he affirmed.
