Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, at the Amiri Diwan, yesterday.
DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met yesterday morning with President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, at the Amiri Diwan.
At the beginning of the meeting, the President informed the Amir of the latest developments in Palestine. He also discussed peace efforts, the national reconciliation as well as the latest Israeli escalation in Gaza, thanking the Amir for Qatar’s firm position in supporting the Palestinian people.
The meeting also discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations, in addition to exchanging views on the latest regional and international issues and developments of joint interest, QNA reported. The meeting was attended by a number of their excellencies cabinet members. On the Palestinian side, it was attended by members of the delegation accompanying the President.
Talking to QNA, Dr Saeb Erekat, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), described the talks held between Amir and President Mahmoud Abbas of the sisterly State of Palestine as constrictive and fruitful. He added that the talks took place within the framework of continuous communication and consultation between the leaders of the two brotherly countries.
Dr Erekat said that the Palestinian President during his meeting lauded H H the Amir’s positions towards the Palestinian issue and Qatar’s rejection of the US administration’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the transfer of the US Embassy to the city.
He added that the President also praised the efforts of the State of Qatar in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip through the legitimate authority and the Palestinian government, pointing out in this regard that Qatar is one of the first countries that contribute to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Dr Saeb Erekat, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that during his meeting with the Amir, the Palestinian President affirmed his readiness to achieve reconciliation as “the supreme Palestinian interest” and that the Palestinians are to have a “national unity government” with cooperation between Fatah and Hamas and all Palestinian factions, with enabling this government to assume its full responsibilities in accordance with the Palestinian Basic Law, and then proceed to the general elections and ballot boxes.
Dr Erekat noted that the Palestinian President praised the efforts made by the State of Qatar under the leadership of
H H the Amir in supporting the Palestinian cause at all levels and in various forums. He stressed that Qatar has exerted every effort and continues to do more to help the Palestinian people, particularly the achievement of Palestinian reconciliation.
Dr Erekat said that the Palestinian President told H H the Amir that his highest priority is reconciliation, because by achieving it, the Palestinians can face the deal of the century and attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
Dr Erekat said that H H the Amir began his speech during the meeting by focusing on a single strategy, that what is required now, above all else as a focal point, is reconciliation as a supreme Palestinian interest and the way to consolidate the national project by the establishment of a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He pointed out that H H the Amir renewed the State of Qatar’s stand on the side of the Palestinian people and its just cause, saying to the Palestinian President, “We are with you. We are with Palestinian legitimacy. We are with the Palestinian project”.
We cannot accept that Jerusalem is the largest and most valuable city, but the capital of the State of Palestine .. We cannot accept any solution except the independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders .. And we will support you with all we have in this direction, “ H H the Amir also stressed the need for the Palestinian national unity as a strategic point and a supreme national interest, Dr Erekat added.
Dr Saeb Erekat described the meeting between the Palestinian President and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as in depth, during which the two sides agreed on several points and continued coordination to achieve the interests of the Palestinian people.
Dr Erekat stressed that the Palestinian side relies heavily on the Qatari role and any role played by other parties to achieve the Palestinian reconciliation, but said, “If we do not help ourselves as Palestinians, no one will help us.”
The visit of President Abbas to the State of Qatar comes within the framework of coordination and cooperation between the two leaderships, pointing out that there are almost daily contacts between the leaders of the two countries.
Dr Saeb Erekat said that the Palestinians are now facing the so-called deal of the century, which was materialised by US President Donald Trump literally by recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and transferred the US embassy to it, and then cut aid of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in preparation for the drop of the refugee file, in addition to the decision of the Israeli government, which turned into a law in the Knesset under the name of “nationalism” considering that the Jews are the only who have the right to self-determination in Palestine, and turning the Gaza issue from a political issue to humanitarian one , stressing that all this is an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause .
On what is happening in the Gaza Strip, Dr Erekat strongly condemned the continued aggression and the dangerous and ongoing Israeli escalation on the Gaza Strip with every attempt to advance the Palestinian reconciliation and end the Palestinian division.
In a related context, Erekat pointed out that the Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement in Doha in 2012 adopted by the two sides, and then the State of Qatar submitted a paper in this regard in 2015 and was also accepted, expressing his hope that all those who can contribute along with their brothers in Qatar to contribute and support this reconciliation.
“The reconciliation we are talking about is not between two different countries but between one people. The West Bank, like Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, are all under occupation. The aggression and the war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against our people do not differentiate between Palestinians ,” he added.
He said that when a Palestinian pregnant woman and her daughter were killed, it is a human tragedy. He pointed out that the war crimes committed by the occupation against the heroic return marches, killed more than 200 martyrs and 20,000 wounded, in addition to the expansion and acceleration of settlement, all of which were part of attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
“The ability of the Palestinians to defeat and topple these attempts depends on one thing which is national unity,” Erekat stressed.
On the Arab position towards the Palestinian issue, he said: “The Arabs may disagree very much among themselves, but there is no disagreement between any Arab country and others about preserving the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian national project and achieving Palestinian reconciliation.”
Dr Erekat said in his interview that the Palestinian Authority has always stood with Gaza as an integral part of the territory of the State of Palestine, like Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho and any other Palestinian area.
“We do not want to dwarf the issue. Gaza needs humanitarian assistance, projects and pumping aid, because three wars have destroyed it and destroyed its infrastructure,” he said, adding that what is happening in Gaza today is another destruction of the Strip and other crimes committed against it.
He stressed that the key to obtaining Palestinian rights is to achieve reconciliation and remove the causes of division and end it in all its manifestations, adding : “We do not want new agreements, the signed agreements, were sufficient and only required to be implemented gradually.”
“We are ready immediately to carry out everything we have. We are with any effort to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation on the basis of enabling the Palestinian national reconciliation government to assume its full responsibilities in accordance with the Basic Law and go to the polls in free and fair elections.”, Dr Erekat added.
Erekat warned that there is no justification for the Palestinian division, describing it as a hole through which the US President and the Israeli prime minister are trying to leak in an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
