RAMALLAH, President Mahmoud Abbas chaired today a cabinet meeting held in Ramallah and headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh during which he affirmed that Jerusalem and defending the Islamic and Christian holy sites constitute the highlight of the Palestinian national project.

President Abbas praised the Palestinian people in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, and other neighborhoods in occupied Jerusalem for their steadfastness and for standing firm in the face of the Israeli occupation which is trying to take over Palestinian properties and expel their Palestinian residents for the benefit of its Judaization schemes, which he stressed did not and will not change the Palestinian character of the holy city of Jerusalem.

“This Palestinian steadfastness requires the government to implement more projects that support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, especially in occupied Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Palestinian state,” President Abbas emphasized.

He reiterated his affirmation that “we will not back down nor accept the holding of Palestinian elections without allowing Jerusalemites to cast their votes, run as electoral candidates and hold electoral campaigns,” stating that: “Jerusalem means Palestine, and without Jerusalem, there will not be a state of Palestine.”

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency