President Mahmoud Abbas said today that the coup that took place in 2007 and the division it caused must end immediately without any hesitation or delay. President Abbas made the remarks during the meeting of heads of Palestinian factions that he chaired Egypt’s city of El-Alamein. He stressed that the division is a new catastrophe that befell the Palestinian people and cause, adding that national unity and joint collective action must be based on clear principles and foundations to end division, achieve unity and arrange the inner house. President also stressed that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, stressing the need to adhere to its political program, and to all its international obligations. ‘The entire world recognizes the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and it is the unifying home for all Palestinians…it is the national and political entity of the Palestinian people, and the mother of the independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and the protector of the independent national decision and national identity,” the President said. He affirmed that it is not acceptable for any Palestinian to have reservations about the PLO and its national and political program, adding that it is necessary to unanimously protect it, because it is considered one of the most important gains of the Palestinian people. ‘The continued barbaric Israeli aggression obliges us all to rise to the level of true national responsibility, and to work on arranging our national home, so that we can confront this occupation that targets our existence, our rights and our sanctities,’ President Abbas said. He revealed that he invited heads of factions for this meeting to study ways to achieve national unity, strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, resist the continuous aggression against the Palestinians, and protect the homeland, people, and sanctities. ‘We have practiced different forms of struggle at different stages in our national march, and we see today that peaceful popular resistance, at this stage, is the best way to continue our struggle and achieve our national goals,’ he said. The President noted that choosing this method of national struggle is not a random choice, but rather a well-studied choice based on historical backgrounds and experiences. ‘In the face of the occupation, and the continued terrorism of the settlers, we must agree on this resistance to confront the aggression of the occupiers, ‘he said. He stressed that the international community must provide international protection for the Palestinian people from those who attack them. ‘We must work to end the division and put things back in order, within the framework of one state, one system, one law, one legitimate weapon, and one government, and the interests of our people and our national cause dictate that,’ President Abbas said. As for holding elections, President Abbas said elections are ‘our only means of sharing responsibility and national participation, and we want to hold presidential, legislative and National Council elections today before tomorrow, provided that our people in occupied East Jerusalem can participate in these elections as candidates and voters without any obstacles, as happened in the years 1996, 2005 and 2006.’ He stressed that the one who obstructs holding these elections is the occupying power, demanding the international community, led by the United States and the European Union, to oblige Israel to allow us hold democratic elections in Jerusalem. President Abbas thanked Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Egypt for hosting the meeting, and for the facilities they provided for convening this meeting. He also showed gratitude to Egypt for its continuous sponsorship of the Palestinian reconciliation efforts, and its sincere desire for the success of this reconciliation in order to protect the national unity and the interests of the Palestinian people.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA