The Palestinian President: Israel's Genocide War Will Not Achieve Its Goals

Ramallah / Qais Abu Samra

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized on Wednesday that Israel's genocide war against the Palestinian people will not achieve its political or security objectives.

This came in a statement on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the launch of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement "Fatah" in 1965, which coincides annually with January 1.

Abbas said that "the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are facing an unprecedented war of genocide and ethnic cleansing carried out by Israel in a blatant challenge to international laws and legitimacy."

Since October 8, 2023, Israel's genocide in Gaza has left more than 71,000 Palestinian dead and 171,000 injured, along with widespread destruction, with the United Nations estimating the cost of reconstruction at around $70 billion.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have killed at least 1,104 Palestinians, injured about 11,000, in addition to arresting more than 21,000 and displacing tens of thousands.

Abbas added that "despite the enormity of the sacrifices, the Palestinian people will continue their steadfastness and rooting in their homeland's land, and will confront plans of annexation and displacement."

Since the start of the Gaza genocide war, Israel has been paving the way for the official annexation of the West Bank through escalating crimes, including assaults on Palestinians, their displacement from their homes, seizure of their lands, and expansion of settlements.

The Palestinian Authority has been demanding for decades that the international community pressure Israel to end settlement in the occupied territories, which the United Nations considers "illegal," and undermines the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.

The Palestinian President further stated that "this war will not succeed in achieving its political or security objectives."

** Establishment of the State

Abbas emphasized adherence to "the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside the return of refugees in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative."

He added that the establishment of the state is "an inevitable reality" embodied by the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, and no force will be able to prevent its realization.

Regarding the anniversary of the launch of the "Fatah" movement, Abbas said that "this anniversary recalls the sacrifices of the founding leaders of the Palestinian revolution."

He continued: "Foremost among them is the late leader Yasser Arafat (1929 - 2004), alongside thousands of martyrs, prisoners, and wounded who offered their lives for freedom and independence."

Abbas called for "national unity in this sensitive stage, and preserving the national achievements realized through decades of struggle, under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization."

He said that "any projects targeting the singularity of Palestinian representation are doomed to failure."

He added: "No Palestinian state in Gaza and no Palestinian state without Gaza, and the unity of the land, people, and political decision forms the basis of the Palestinian national project."

** Reforming the Authority

Regarding reforming the Palestinian Authority institutions, which is an American demand, Abbas emphasized "proceeding with the implementation of political and administrative reform plans for the Palestinian state institutions, considering them a fundamental lever to enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian people."

He extended greetings to "Palestinians in the homeland and diaspora, especially in the Gaza Strip, and stressed the reconstruction of the sector and its return to the embrace of national legitimacy."

Arafat founded "Fatah" with a number of his comrades, most notably Khalil al-Wazir, Salah Khalaf, Khalid al-Hasan, and Farouk al-Qaddoumi.

One day before its official announcement, the movement launched "armed struggle" against the Israeli occupation by detonating the "Eilabun" tunnel in the Jordan Valley area east of the West Bank, resulting in the injury of two soldiers.

Israel was established in 1948 on lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs that committed massacres and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, then occupied the rest of the Palestinian lands, and refuses to withdraw and allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.