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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a December 26, 2023, interview which aired on ON TV (Egypt) that current events in Palestinian lands are a worse catastrophe and more heinous than the 1948 Nakba. He said that the Palestinian Authority is prepared to fulfill its responsibility in Gaza if Israel pulls out of the Strip, and that it will complete its responsibilities in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem "as one Palestinian state." He condemned the United States for vetoing ceasefire initiatives in the United Nations. Abbas said that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as his government and previous governments, have a scheme to get rid of the Palestinians. He said that Russia is on the side of the Palestinians and is ready to be a partner in talks about a two-state solution.
President Mahmoud Abbas: "What is happening in the Palestinian lands these days is worse than a catastrophe, worse than a genocidal war. Our people have not witnessed such a war even in the Nakba of 1948. When the Nakba of 1948 took place, there were [sic] displacement and destruction, but what is happening now is much more heinous, than what happened then, and maybe in any other country. What is happening here is really heinous, and it is done while all the countries of the world are watching, and first and foremost the United States. Sadly, whenever the world—the U.N. Security Council, and the General Assembly—tries to stop this war, the U.S. vetoes [the resolution], and objects to ending the fighting.
"The Israeli plan is to eliminate the Palestinian existence. Netanyahu's personal plan and that of his current government..."
Interviewer: "Netanyahu..."
Abbas: "I am not saying that the previous governments were innocent. All of them. Their scheme is to get rid of the Palestinians. If [the Israeli army] pulls out [of Gaza], we are ready to fulfill our responsibility, which we are already fulfilling, but we will complete the responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority, in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, as one Palestinian state. Russia is completely on our side. There is no question about it."
Interviewer: "Can the Russians be partners in future talks about the two-state solution?"
Abbas: "Yes, they can. They are ready to receive delegations and do whatever we want."
Interviewer: "There are settlements planted throughout the West Bank."
Abbas: "Yes, but these settlements are 'illegal,' and they are recognized by nobody."
Interviewer: "But they are there, Mr. President."
Abbas: "But they are recognized by no one. They constitute facts on the ground. When Ariel Sharon wanted to get rid of Gaza one day, what did he say? He said that all the settlements should be gone, and all the settlements in Gaza were gone overnight, as if they had never existed. The day must come when all the illegal settlements planted on our land will leave, or come to an end."
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