The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that Israel wants to completely destroy Palestine after it has nearly destroyed the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue the genocide in Gaza for personal reasons.
Abbas said in an interview with Saudi Arabia's "Al Arabiya" channel on Monday evening: "Israel wants to completely destroy Palestine; it does not want to see the Palestinian entity, and that is why it did what it did after October 7, 2023, and nearly destroyed Gaza completely."
He added: "This is what Israel is striving for, and this is what it wants and continues (to pursue), and the international community is used to making decisions that are not implemented (...) a thousand decisions by the United Nations have not seen one implemented."
Abbas further stated: "The Palestinian situation is now in a state of destruction, not only in Gaza but also in the occupied West Bank."
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in 63,557 deaths and 160,660 injuries among Palestinians, most of whom are children and women, over 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and famine that has killed 348 Palestinians, including 127 children.
Alongside the genocide in Gaza, the Israeli army and settlers have intensified their attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,016 Palestinians and injuries to about 7,000 others, in addition to the arrest of more than 18,500, according to Palestinian data.
Abbas considered that "Netanyahu is determined to continue the genocide of the Palestinian people for personal reasons."
He explained: "Netanyahu is facing (in the courts) four cases (of corruption), each case could send him to prison if he were not the Prime Minister, and that is why he wants to remain Prime Minister so that he is not judged against."
Since 2019, Netanyahu has faced charges of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust, and his trial began in 2020 and is still ongoing, and he denies them, claiming they are a "political campaign aimed at overthrowing him."
Abbas stated that the priorities of the Palestinian Authority today are to continue efforts until the fighting in Gaza stops, and for humanitarian supplies to continue entering, then to halt the process of displacement.
He added that "the Palestinian Authority is ready and has the capabilities to take over Gaza after the war, and we have no objection to an Arab or Arab-international partnership."
The President expressed hope for Palestine to gain more international recognition during the United Nations meetings this month, saying: "We currently have 149 countries recognizing us, and God willing, we expect (more) in the coming days; heads of states (whom he did not name) have contacted me informing me that they will recognize the State of Palestine, God willing."
Abbas announced Palestine's intention to go to the United Nations, without specifying the time, "with the aim of obtaining full membership instead of observer state status (since 2012)."
Regarding ongoing talks with Saudi Arabia for four years, Abbas said: "During which the Kingdom pointed to several points in a dialogue it is conducting with the United States."
He continued: "So far, Saudi Arabia is committed to every letter and every word (...) and there will be no Saudi interest implemented before the Palestinian state is established; this is the Saudi position and it has not changed."
On multiple occasions, Saudi Arabia has announced its refusal to establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, affirming that "this firm position is not subject to negotiation or bargaining."
The President reiterated his conditions for the entry of Hamas into the Palestine Liberation Organization by saying: "For Hamas to be a political part of the Palestinian people, it must recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and its commitments and accept it, and recognize international legitimacy, and the one state, one people, one army, and one weapon."
The Palestinian arena has been suffering from political and geographical division since 2007, where Hamas and a government it formed control the Gaza Strip, while the West Bank is managed by a government formed by the Fatah movement led by Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinian President stated that the Palestinian camps in Lebanon will continue to hand over their weapons to the Lebanese army, to "keep them safe with them."
He noted: "We are determined to withdraw all Palestinian weapons from Lebanon; I want nothing with Lebanon but a normal relationship, and to maintain its unity and complete security."
On August 21, the Lebanese
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Abbas: Israel wants to completely destroy Palestine.