Palestinian president urges to end Israeli occupation in talks with Blinken - China.org.cn

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories must end through a political solution.

During a meeting with Blinken in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Abbas stressed the need to resolve all permanent status issues, including the refugee issue, and the release of all prisoners, under the auspices of the International Quartet and under international resolutions, Palestine's official news agency WAFA reported.

Abbas called on the U.S. to implement its commitment to the two-state solution by stopping Israeli settlement and settlers' assaults, preserving the historical situation in al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, and prohibiting Israel's unilateral actions.

Abbas also demanded that the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem be reopened, and that U.S. laws designating the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as a "terrorist organization that encourages incitement" be repealed.

Abbas told Blinken that current events in Europe showed "blatant double standards, despite the crimes of the Israeli occupation," according to the report.