Palestine ready for int’l peace conference on Palestinian issue, says President Abbas

Palestine is ready for the international peace conference on the Palestinian issue, which will finally settle all aspects of its status, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told TASS. Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS on Sunday that Abbas was set to pay an official visit to Russia on August 12-14 and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. "A strategic settlement to the Palestinian issue is as follows: granting the Palestinian people their right to freedom, independence and self-determination based on a two-state solution that respects international law, the world community and the United Nations; putting an end to all Israeli unilateral and hostile actions in the West Bank and Jerusalem; resolving all aspects of the final status [of Palestine] by means of an international peace conference; a full withdrawal of troops within a specified timeframe; implementing the mechanism of a universal, comprehensive and inclusive settlement of the Palestinian people's rights to freedom, independence and self-determination," Abbas said. Tensions flared up in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas military and political wings and free all hostages. Another round of escalation in the Middle East followed the violent death of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the elimination of Hezbollah top military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah held Israel responsible and asserted that the attacks will be met with retaliation. Source: National New s Agency - Lebanon