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Abbas Calls for ‘International Peace Conference’ on Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)
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Abbas Calls for ‘International Peace Conference’ on Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has underscored on Sunday the need for convening an international peace conference that would ensure the Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories under international legitimacy resolutions and within a specified timeline.
During his meeting with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland, Abbas stressed the urgency to enable the State of Palestine politically and economically to fulfill its responsibilities towards the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank.
He also stressed the importance of preventing the displacement of Palestinians and stopping all attacks by occupation forces and settlers, as well as the release of all Palestinian clearance funds.
The President further urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to step up international efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, to withdraw Israeli occupation forces from the entire Gaza Strip, and not to confiscate any inch of its land.
Abbas also demanded increasing humanitarian and relief aid in Gaza “amid the current harsh weather conditions there”.

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US Says It Expects Gaza Peace Talks to Continue, Ceasefire Possible

Smoke billows following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on August 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Smoke billows following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on August 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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US Says It Expects Gaza Peace Talks to Continue, Ceasefire Possible

Smoke billows following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on August 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Smoke billows following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on August 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

The US expects Gaza peace talks to move forward as planned, the State Department said on Monday, adding it believes a ceasefire deal remains possible even after Hamas cast doubt on whether it would participate in a Thursday meeting called by mediators.

Palestinian armed group Hamas on Sunday asked mediators to present a plan based upon previous talks instead of engaging in new negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Last week, leaders of the US, Egypt and Qatar urged Israel and Hamas to meet for negotiations on Aug. 15 in either Cairo or Doha to finalize a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, speaking to reporters at a regular news briefing, said the US fully expects talks to continue and it would continue to work with the parties involved, adding that agreement was still possible.

"We fully expect talks to move forward, as they should. All negotiators should return to the table and bring this deal to conclusion," Patel said.

Patel declined to say if the talks would go ahead without Hamas or whether Washington was working with regional partners to ensure their participation or not.

President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal in an address on May 31. Washington and regional mediators have since tried arranging the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal but have run into repeated obstacles.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry.