Bethlehem/PNN /

President Mahmoud Abbas called today on the international community not to deal with any Israeli government that does not recognize the principles of international legitimacy.

In a speech before the China-Arab Summit in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the President said, "These days, we miss a partner in Israel who believes in a two-state solution based on international legitimacy, signed agreements, and the renunciation of violence and terrorism. These are the principles that we are committed to and work according to."

He added, "Despite all of this, we will not abandon commitment to international law, and we look forward, amid these difficult circumstances, that you will continue to mobilize international support to implement the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative."

The President urged the international community to back Palestine’s efforts to obtain full membership in the United Nations, hold an international peace conference, achieve international protection for the Palestinian people, and implement UN resolutions related to the Palestinian cause, including UN Security Council Resolution 2334, and UN General Assembly Resolutions 181 and 194.

President Abbas also stressed the need for an apology and compensation from Britain and the United States to the Palestinian people, because of the disastrous Balfour Declaration and the pre-1948 British Mandate for Palestine, as well as an apology and compensation from Israel for the dozens of massacres it committed during the 1948 Nakba, the destruction of hundreds of Palestinian villages, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.

The President said, "The fact that the Israeli occupation remains there on the land of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital -- after the displacement of more than half of the Palestinian people from their land, more than 74 years ago -- raises several questions on the seriousness of the international system." He said for instance, the international system "allows the Israeli occupation authorities to continue violating international law, establishing a system of racial discrimination with full elements, continuing unilateral actions and colonial settlement, killing, siege, displacement, home demolitions, and changing the identity of the city of Jerusalem."

The President affirmed that the State of Palestine will continue to stand firmly by China in all international forums in the face of the campaigns targeting it. He thanked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for his vision and for China's firm and supportive positions for the rights of our Palestinian people, and for all the assistance and development cooperation programs it provides.