Ekip
10 February 2019•Update: 11 February 2019
By Seleshi Tessema and Addis Getachew
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Speaking to African leaders on Sunday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas lashed out at the U.S. for encouraging Israel's mistreatment of his people.
“What encourages Israel to behave [as if it was] above the law is the U.S. administration,” Abbas told the 32nd Summit of African Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Palestine has observer status with the African Union.
Blasting U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas added: “We remain determined to fight for the realization of the two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.”
Referring to the U.S. decision to cut all aid to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, he also said: “Those who stand against the two-state solution are engaged in drying up all funds to the Palestinian people, neglecting the rights of the Palestinians.”
“We reject any American interference in Palestine and in Venezuela as well,” he said.
“We call upon African nations not to move their embassies [to Israel] to Jerusalem,” he said. “We call upon the international community to help us move the peace process and hold national elections.”
The African Union, as a pan-African body, has expressed unanimous support for the Palestinian cause.
