Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hails “a historic moment”
“What happened today is a historic moment”Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with Israeli television channel 12 in Ramallah (West Bank), the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, about the ceasefire in Gaza announced by the United States.
“We hoped and remain hopeful that we can put an end to the bloodshed raging in our country, whether in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank or East Jerusalem.”he added. “Today we are very happy that this massacre has come to an end. We hope that this will be the case and that peace, security and stability will reign between us and Israel.”Mr. Abbas wished.
Asked by the 12 journalist about the reforms that Donald Trump had requested of the Palestinian Authority to allow the emergence of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state that could participate in a future government of the Gaza Strip, Mr Abbas replied: “Frankly, we have initiated reforms.”
“These reforms mainly concern prisoner salaries [palestiniens détenus par Israël] agreed with and approved by the United States”he added. “As for education reforms […] safety, they are all implemented »Mr Abbas further stated. “Some have already been implemented, others will continue to be implemented until the Palestinian Authority becomes a model and is able to continue to lead the Palestinian people.”
Mr Abbas was referring to two reforms that Israel, the United States and several European countries, especially France, have long called for: that of allowances for the families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel, a system described by Israel as“incitement to terrorism”and the reform of textbooks used in Palestinian schools, which Israeli authorities accuse of inciting hatred against Jews.
Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip, presented in late September, initially aims to hand over the Gaza Strip’s post-war government to “a technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee” place “under the supervision and control of a new international transitional body” led by the American president himself. The Trump plan envisions that this would one day be a Palestinian Authority reform program “If faithfully implemented, the conditions could finally be met to open a credible path to self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state”.
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