President Abbas Receives Call from British Prime Minister Who Invites Him to Visit His Country

SadaNews - President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call tonight, Tuesday, from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who informed him that Britain will recognize the State of Palestine next September, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, unless Israel takes significant steps to end the terrible situation in Gaza and commits to a long-term sustainable peace, including allowing the United Nations to resume delivering humanitarian aid to citizens in the Gaza Strip without delay to end famine, agreeing to a ceasefire, and ensuring no annexation operations in the West Bank.

Starmer affirmed that Britain will continue to work on creating a plan with its key allies for political negotiations and implementing a two-state solution. Meanwhile, the British government has decided to send urgent humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and transfer wounded children from Gaza for treatment in British hospitals, while pressing for the resumption of aid delivery through UN agencies.

The British Prime Minister extended an official invitation to President Mahmoud Abbas to visit Britain to continue the discussions.

For his part, President Abbas thanked the British Prime Minister for this historic stance of recognizing the State of Palestine and working together for peace and stability.

He emphasized that this courageous position comes at a significant historical moment, and in this context, we call on countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to do so, in order to provide hope for a genuine international will aimed at ending occupation and achieving peace based on international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, and establishing an independent State of Palestine along the lines of June 4, 1967, with its capital in East Jerusalem, to live in security and peace with its neighbors, and to move towards reconstruction.

The President also stressed the priority of the State of Palestine in achieving a ceasefire, allowing the entry of aid, stopping starvation, lifting the siege, releasing prisoners and hostages, preventing displacement, and enabling the State of Palestine to fully assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, along with the complete withdrawal of Israel.

On another note, President Abbas confirmed that we are preparing to go to elections based on the program of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its international commitments, stressing the necessity of releasing Palestinian tax revenues and stopping settler terrorism and attacks on Islamic and Christian places of worship.

At the end of the call, there was an agreement to continue coordination and joint work and to strengthen bilateral relations between the State of Palestine and Britain at various levels.