Putin hosts PA president in Moscow
President Mahmoud Abbas praised Russia’s efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation during his meeting with Vladimir Putin
The President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 13 August.
Abbas briefed Putin on “the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, the targeting of defenseless civilians, the full destruction of infrastructure, and the war of starvation [in Gaza],” according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.
“The President reiterated the Palestinian position calling for an immediate and urgent ceasefire, the prevention of further bloodshed, the full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, as well as the cessation of the ongoing attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem,” WAFA added.
Abbas called for an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
“The friendship that binds our two peoples is a friendship that has bound us for decades, between the Palestinian people on the one hand, and the Soviet Union and then the Russian Federation. Throughout this time, we have always felt that Russia, government and people, stands by the Palestinian people because it stands by the right,” Abbas added.
The Palestinian president “praised the efforts made by Russia to achieve Palestinian reconciliation under the banner of the PLO; the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.” He also said the UN has “failed to accomplish” its mission and solve the Palestinian crisis.
The Russian president expressed his concerns “about the casualties among the civilian population” in Gaza and vowed that Russia “is doing its utmost to support the Palestinian people,” including sending humanitarian aid.
“Everyone knows that Russia is defending its people today with weapons in its hands, but what is happening in the Middle East, and what is happening in Palestine, of course, cannot pass without attention on our part,” Putin added.
“We are united in the stance that the problem’s roots go far back in the past and are connected with the ignorance of international organizations to follow previously made decisions, first of all by the United Nations, decisions regarding the formation and establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” the Russian president went on to say.
“This stance was laid down a long time ago and does not depend on the situation, we believe that in order to provide for a lasting, reliable and stable peace in the region it is necessary to implement all UN decisions and, first and foremost, to establish the full-fledged state of Palestine.”
In March this year, Moscow hosted the Palestinian factions – including Abbas’ Fatah party, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, and others – for national unity talks.
The factions also met in Beijing last month and signed a Chinese-brokered reconciliation agreement aimed at “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity.”
“An agreement has been reached on post-Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government,” China’s foreign minister said at the time.
Last month, Israel’s Knesset passed a vote with an overwhelming majority completely rejecting any prospect for Palestinian statehood.
Tel Aviv has also continuously obstructed efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza by insisting on the right to continue pursuing Hamas once captives are swapped. Meanwhile, Israel, the west, and a number of Arab states have been pushing their own plans for a post-war Gaza.
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