Abbas at the U.N. General Assembly
Photo: AFP
Abbas promises to continue paying families of martyrs, receives applause at U.N. General Assembly
In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Abbas firmly attacked Netanyahu's intention to annex territories; 'International community must put an end to Israeli aggression and arrogance'
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday in his speech at the U.N. General Assembly that despite Israel's demands, the Palestinian Authority will continue to pay salaries to terrorists.
"Even if I had only one penny, I would've given it to the families of the martyrs, prisoners and heroes," said Abbas and received a round of applause from the crowd.
Abbas at the U.N. General Assembly (Photo: AFP)
Abbas also attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following Netanyahu's statement earlier this month to annex the Jordan Valley.
"We completely reject this plan. If the Israeli government goes through with it, all our commitments to previous agreements will be canceled," Abbas said.
Abbas also bashed the United States for its last year's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a disputed territory up until that point, calling it an "aggressive measure".
"The United States has taken illegal and aggressive measures, such as recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transferring its embassy to it. Jerusalem is part of the religious heritage of the Muslims and will remain the eternal capital of the Palestinian people. The U.S. administration continues its aggression, shutting down the PLO's agency in Washington for no reason," said the Palestinian president.
Abbas also said that the Palestinians would no longer agree to only one country mediating at a time in their negotiations with Israel and called for an international conference to promote the peace process.
"Our hands are always extended for peace. More than one country has invited Netanyahu and me to meet. Netanyahu refused three calls from Russia, but we always turned to peace. I am calling for an international peace conference, which will involve Arab and international parties. The international community must put an end to Israeli aggression and arrogance," said Abbas.
