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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told a senior US official that Israel's unilateral actions in the Palestinian territories undermine the world-backed two-state solution, a Palestinian news agency said.
Abbas made the remarks during a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Xinhua reported citing Palestinian news agency WAFA. On Tuesday, Sullivan arrived in Israel to discuss several issues with both Israeli and Palestinian officials, including the revival of the Middle East peace process which has been stalled since 2014. According to WAFA, Abbas urged Sullivan to exert pressure on Israel to stop its actions against the Palestinians, implement the signed agreements and launch a real political process in accordance with the legitimate international resolutions. Abbas, who briefed Sullivan on the latest Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories, called for ending both the Jewish settlement and the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem since 1967. The Palestinian president also asked Sullivan to urge Israel to respect the historical situation in the Old City of East Jerusalem, stop the expulsion of Palestinian residents from the city, halt tax revenue cuts, and stop stifling the Palestinian economy. Meanwhile, Sullivan told Abbas that the US is committed to the two-state solution and the importance of all parties working jointly to move forward to achieve peace and stability in the region. On Tuesday, Abbas also met with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lambert in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Abbas briefed Lambert over the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, mainly the unilateral Israeli practices against the Palestinians that undermine the two-state solution, WAFA reported. The last direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, sponsored by the US, lasted nine months and broke down in 2014 over their deep differences on the issues of borders, security, and settlement. Since then, there have been no diplomatic ties between Israel and Palestinian because of the Palestinian rejection of the Israeli expansion of settlements and Israeli measures against the Palestinians in East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want to establish an independent state alongside Israel on all the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, including the entire West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. --IANS int/sks ( 388 Words) 2021-12-23-13:26:01 (IANS)
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