Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informed Türkiye’s parliament on Thursday that he had resolved to visit Gaza and Jerusalem in order to express his opposition to Israel’s ongoing conflict in the enclave.
Abbas, at the invitation of the Turkish government, spoke at an extraordinary session of Türkiye’s parliament general assembly after meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday to review the conflict and efforts to establish a ceasefire.
Abbas also declared in front of the Turkish parliament that Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories was necessary to resolve the conflict.
Erdogan, his ministers, and lawmakers from all political parties were present for Abbas’s 46-minute speech, during which he accused the US of extending the disaster through its support of Israel and vetoes at the UN Security Council. Additionally, he urged the international community to hold Israel responsible for its war crimes and violations of global law through legal means.
“I have made the decision to travel to the Gaza Strip with members of the Palestinian Authority (PA).” Abbas said, “I will make every effort to ensure that we are all present with our people to put an end to this barbaric aggression, even if it means paying the price of our lives.” He also stated that he would travel to Jerusalem. He did not provide a specific date for his visit.
Abbas serves as the head of the PA, which administers limited self-governance in portions of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
