Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas has reiterated that Israel must freeze all construction of illegal settlements so that a Palestinian state can be created.
During a visit to Bethlehem on Sunday, he said the Palestinian leadership had not abandoned the national objective of establishing a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.
The Road Map conditions not only call for a halt to the construction of illegal settlements but also the dismantlement of all of the settlements that are built on Palestinian lands in the West Bank in order to establish a Palestinian state, he added.
The Palestinians are committed to implementing the requirements of the Road Map while Israel neither dismantles illegal settlements nor halts the growth in settlements, and in fact, the settlement activity is continuing in Jerusalem Al-Quds and the West Bank, Abbas noted.
He expressed eagerness to reconcile with Hamas through Egyptian mediation, but stated that it is Hamas that has rejected the Egyptian proposal and "wants to cling to the Gaza state forever."
Abbas also urged the Palestinian people to maintain the belief that peace, security, and safety are attainable goals in order to realize the development of the country.
Prior to his visit to Bethlehem, Abbas visited the southern West Bank town of Halhul near Hebron (Al-Khalil), where the residents asked him to reverse his decision to drop out of the upcoming election.
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