RAMALLAH: President Mahmoud Abbas said today that the State of Palestine seeks to get rid of the occupation and stop the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem, leading to the complete end of the occupation of the State of Palestine with its capital, East Jerusalem.
He added in his speech at the Third Summit of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue, in the Qatari capital, Doha, that despite all the difficulties created by the occupation, Palestinian athletes, like the rest of their people, continue with perseverance and steadfastness to achieve proud achievements, and the State of Palestine embodies sports diplomacy, through its participation in all international sports forums.
The President affirmed, “This summit is being held while the region is facing great dangers due to the insistence of the Israeli occupation state on the approach of aggression and violence, as the Palestinian people, including our athletes, as well as the Lebanese people, are being subjected to a brutal Israeli ag
gression, which has claimed the lives of thousands of children, women and the elderly.”
He also added that the ongoing Israeli aggression has destroyed more than 90% of the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including sports facilities and installations.
President Abbas stressed that peace and tolerance cannot coexist with occupation, racial discrimination, ethnic cleansing, oppression and injustice, preventing the Palestinian people from achieving their aspirations for freedom and independence, calling on the international community to intervene immediately to stop the barbaric aggression against Palestine and Lebanon.
The President stated that hosting this Asian summit under the theme of “Sports Diplomacy” presents a valuable opportunity to foster dialogue through a medium as impactful as official diplomacy, one that eliminates barriers and provides spaces for human relations based on fair competition, within the framework of governing laws, regardless of identity, religion, race or language.
Source: Pa
lestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
