President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas met today with his Iraqi counterpart, Abdullatif Jamal Rashid, at his residence in the Bahraini capital, Manama, on the sidelines of the 33rd Arab Summit, which is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday.
President Abbas briefed his Iraqi counterpart on the latest developments in the Palestinian arena, particularly the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and on efforts exerted to end the genocidal war and ensure the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to the Strip.
President Abbas reiterated the sovereignty of the State of Palestine and its firm rejection of any attempts to displace any Palestinian; whether from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, warning of the danger of the Israeli occupation military invasion of Rafah city, in the southern Gaza strip, which he stressed would cause a humanitarian disaster which would inflict a heavy price on thousands of innocent people, including children, women and the elderly.
The two Presidents also discussed the serious Israeli aggression in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. The aggression includes the ongoing Israeli forces’ incursion into Palestinian cities, towns and camps, the killing of Palestinian residents, the destruction of properties, the continuing crimes carried out by terrorist colonists and the desecration of Islamic and Christian holy sites, especially in the city of Jerusalem.
President Abbas underscored during the meeting the difficult economic and financial situation facing the State of Palestine due to Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian clearance funds, stressing the importance of Arab support to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people and to support the UN Relief Agency (UNRWA) to enable it to carry out its tasks.
The President praised the positions of Iraq’s leadership and people in support of the demands and rights of the Palestinian people and its efforts in supporting the Palestinian cause at all international forums.
President Abbas expressed great pride in the deep-rooted historical and brotherly relations that unite the two countries and peoples. He stressed his keenness to develop and scale up these relations, including convening the Joint Committee meetings between the two countries in Iraq soon.
For his part, the Iraqi president reiterated his country’s firm stance in support of the Palestinian cause, including its support of the right of the Palestinian people to attain their full legitimate rights.
He emphasized the need to help the Palestinian people realize their hopes and aspirations of building the Palestinian state, highlighting the importance of solidarity, coordination and collaborative work between Iraq and Palestine at all levels.
Source: WAFA
