Palestine President 'waiting' for US to implement two-state policy with Israel

Palestine said that it expects the United States to fulfil its obligations on peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict. President of State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, told Sputnik that since US President Joe Biden’s administration considers Palestine as 'partners' in peace negotiations and has proposed a two-state solution for peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict, with the authorities waiting for the fulfilment of America’s commitments.

Abbas told the media outlet, "The US administration [according to Biden] considers us partners in peace negotiations, believes in solving the conflict through the creation of two states, opposes settlement activities ... We are waiting for the fulfilment of these US commitments."

The Palestinian leader also said that Biden informed of his administration's policy being different from the one pursued by former US President Donald Trump. Abbas reportedly said that he expects the US consulate in East Jerusalem to resume operations. He said, "The decision to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem is part of the obligations of the US administration ... We will not accept anything else, since East Jerusalem has been an occupied city since 1967, it is the eternal capital of the Palestinian state."

According to Abbas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US consulate will provide services to Palestinian work with US State Department directly, and would be independent of the US embassy to Israel. The Palestinian leader reportedly said that he expects to discuss reviving a political dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, November 23. 

Abbas to 'consult' with Putin

Abbas was further quoted by the Russian news agency as saying, "During the visit, ways of reviving the political process will be discussed ... We have previously stated our desire to hold an international peace conference under the auspices of the Middle East Quartet in accordance with international resolutions, and therefore we are confident in Russian support for our efforts in this direction." He revealed his intention to 'consult' with Putin and inform the Kremlin leader about the latest developments in the region.

Abbas reportedly added that Palestinian Authority will be conducting general elections when Israel provides permission to hold them in East Jerusalem. He said, "We will hold elections in Palestine [parliamentary and presidential] as soon as we receive permission to hold them in Jerusalem. Earlier, elections were held in Jerusalem, according to agreements signed between the two sides."

(IMAGE: AP)