RAMALLAH, The Palestinian presidency said today that there will be no peace in the region without the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Responding to statements by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz in which he said that the Palestinians will not have a state, but an entity, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the State of Palestine is recognized by the United Nations General Assembly on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“Acknowledging this is the only way to achieve peace, security and stability in the region and the world,” he stressed in a statement, adding that any talk about economic or security peace without a political horizon that leads to ending the occupation and establishing the state of Palestine “is just an illusion and a waste of time.”

“Israel is mistaken to believe that it is able to cross all these red lines,” stressed the presidential spokesman.

“A Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is a red line that cannot be crossed,” he said, adding that President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership will not accept any instructions or orders from anyone.

There is no legitimacy for an occupier implicated in apartheid as proclaimed by civil society organizations, said Abu Rudeineh.

He pointed out that peace will not be at any price, and that Jerusalem, with its Islamic and Christian holy sites, is not for sale. Incomplete initiatives, such as a state with provisional borders or any other dubious project will not get anywhere due to the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their adherence to their national rights.

The official spokesman for the presidency said that President Abbas’ speech at the United Nations and the recent decisions of the Central Council were very clear and that the Palestinian leadership is committed to achieving a just peace based on United Nations resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the signed agreements that establish for a political solution that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He revealed that several Palestinian officials are expected to convey important messages from President Mahmoud Abbas to many countries in order to assume their responsibilities in the coming sensitive and dangerous stage.

Source: Palestine News Agency