Abbas Calls for Int’l Coalition Against Annexation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman/File Photo
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman/File Photo
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Abbas Calls for Int’l Coalition Against Annexation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman/File Photo
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman/File Photo

Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Saeb Erekat said that President Mahmoud Abbas instructed the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, to propose to the UN General Assembly the formation of an international coalition against Israeli annexation plans.

Abbas also demanded that an upcoming UN Security Council session be held at the level of foreign ministers instead of the representatives.

The Council will meet on June 24 to discuss Israel’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Erekat stated that the recent standpoints of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Union, Russia and China are clear signs that Palestine has been able to gather an international coalition in support of its cause.

"It's necessary to provide an urgent Arab financial aid to help the Palestinian Authority’s treasury overcome the current difficult conditions," Erekat added.

The US wants the annexation plan to be part of the “Deal of the Century” announced by US President Donald Trump, while other countries fully reject the move.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman met Thursday Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to structure an annexation plan that is acceptable by the US administration, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Another meeting is scheduled Sunday in the attendance of Ashkenazi, Gantz, Friedman, Netanyahu, and Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin.

Likud Minister Tzachi Hanegbi has warned that trouble would surface if Trump backed off from the plan.

Hanegbi stressed that this is the right time to implement the plan.



French Foreign Minister in Beirut Despite Israeli Air Strikes

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (AFP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (AFP)
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French Foreign Minister in Beirut Despite Israeli Air Strikes

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (AFP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (AFP)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in Beirut on Sunday night, his ministry said, making him the first high-level foreign diplomat to visit since Israeli air strikes intensified across the country.
Barrot will hold talks with Lebanese and UN officials. His arrival as the foreign ministry announced that a second French national had been killed in Lebanon, though details were unclear.
“We confirm the death of a second French national,” the French ministry said Sunday, adding that further details will be supplied later.
In Beirut, Barrot will hold talks with Lebanese officials over the current situation and provide French support, particularly humanitarian support, Lebanon’s National News Agency, NNA, reported.
Speaking with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday, Barrot said Paris wanted “an immediate halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon” and was “opposed to any ground operation.”
Also on Saturday, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier called the situation in Lebanon “extremely serious” and said he was “concerned for the safety” of French citizens there.
But the foreign ministry has so far stopped short of urging French nationals to leave Lebanon.
President Emmanuel Macron’s special Lebanon envoy and former defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Beirut last week, his sixth trip to the country, urging political forces to come together to elect a president after a long delay.
Le Drian has not spoken to the press about the visit.