In a significant development ahead of a UN conference on the two-state solution, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed support for Hamas to lay down its arms and step away from governing Gaza as part of a future Palestinian state.
Mahmoud Abbas © JCMES
In a significant development ahead of a UN conference on the two-state solution, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed support for Hamas to lay down its arms and step away from governing Gaza as part of a future Palestinian state.
The statement was made in a letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will co-chair the conference in New York from June 17 to 21, according to a Tuesday announcement from the French presidency.
In the letter, Abbas condemned the actions of Hamas during its October 7, 2023, attack, describing the killing and taking of civilian hostages as “unacceptable and condemnable.” He urged the Islamist Palestinian movement to “immediately release all hostages and detainees.”
Furthermore, Abbas signaled openness to international involvement, stating his readiness to “invite Arab and international forces to deploy as part of a stabilization/protection mission under a UN Security Council mandate.”
This proposal underscores his vision for a restructured governance framework in Gaza and the broader Palestinian territories.
The British band Massive Attack said its members were detained by Singapore police and "isolated and separately questioned" after the two performers raised a Palestinian flag at their concert in the city-state last Wednesday.
Iran executed two of its citizens on Monday on charges of espionage and cooperation with Israel, Iranian state media reported, amid an increase in executions for offences relating to national security.
Maronite Patriarch Béchara Raï reiterated his support Sunday for the US-brokered framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in late June, describing it during his Sunday homily as a "national path to resolving outstanding issues, consolidating a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, and preserving the state's sovereignty over its entire territory."
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