Abbas to Putin: We Can't Accept Israel's Plans to Divide or Separate Gaza

Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)
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Abbas to Putin: We Can't Accept Israel's Plans to Divide or Separate Gaza

Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has insisted that Gaza is an integral part of Palestine and cannot be separated or subjected to the Israeli occupation's plans for division.

In a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Abbas emphasized that Gaza remains the responsibility of Palestine.

The President underscored the necessity of intervening to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

He emphasized the need to release Palestinian tax funds, currently withheld by Israel, and reiterated that Gaza remains the responsibility of Palestine.

Sputnik news agency said Putin invited Abbas to visit Russia and stressed the importance of "ending the bloodshed" in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible and resuming the political settlement process in the Palestinian territories.

On Friday, the European Commission said it had adopted a $130 million aid package to support the Palestinian Authority.

The commission said the aid would help pay salaries and pensions of civil servants in the West Bank, social allowances for vulnerable families, and the payment for medical referrals to East Jerusalem hospitals.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is also ready to continue helping the Palestinian Authority in the longer term.

"We are reflecting on a wider mid-term package for next year to contribute to the economic and political stability of Gaza and the West Bank, once conditions allow on the ground, as part of wider international efforts to reinstate a two-state solution," von der Leyen said.

For 2024, the EU has also set aside 125 million euros in humanitarian aid for people in the besieged Gaza Strip, where EU commissioner Josep Borrell said food shortages had reached unprecedented levels.

"This is a grave development and should be a wakeup call for the whole world to act now to prevent a deadly human catastrophe," the EU's top diplomat said.

"Aid needs to reach those in need through all necessary means, including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs."



Algeria Threatens France with ‘Additional Measures’ Over Sahara Position

The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)
The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)
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Algeria Threatens France with ‘Additional Measures’ Over Sahara Position

The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)
The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf has announced that his country will take additional measures against France, in response to Paris’ position in support of Morocco’s plan for autonomy in the Sahara.

During a press conference in Algiers, attended by AFP, Attaf said: “We will take the necessary steps to express our rejection of France taking such a step, which is dangerous for the region.”

He added that Algeria’s decision to recall its ambassador from Paris for consultations was only a first step that will be followed by additional protest measures.

According to the Algerian minister, French President Emmanuel Macron had informed his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in June in Italy, of the decision that Paris intends to take.

Attaf stressed that the Algerian president’s response to his French counterpart was “strict, resolute and precise,” warning that such a step will not contribute to reviving the political track.

His position comes after Macron confirmed that the Moroccan proposal “constitutes, from now on, the only basis for reaching a just, sustainable, and negotiated political solution, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.”

Tebboune was scheduled to visit France in September, but Attaf hinted that this visit may not take place due to Macron’s position.

The Moroccan authorities proposed an autonomy plan for the Sahara under its sovereignty. However, the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, has been demanding sovereignty over it since the Spanish occupation left the region in 1975, and is demanding a self-determination referendum under the auspices of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI invited the French president to an official visit to the country, after Paris announced its stance in support of the country’s sovereignty over the disputed Sahara region.

“I fully appreciate your country’s clear support for Morocco’s sovereignty over this part of its territory, the resolute French support for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty to settle this regional dispute, thereby establishing the plan proposed by Morocco, since 2007, as the only basis for achieving it,” the monarch said in his letter.

He continued: “In this context, and thanks to the positive momentum that our bilateral relations are experiencing, promising prospects are opening up for our two countries in many strategic sectors, making it possible to strengthen the exceptional partnership built over decades on friendship and trust.”