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 Urges Israel Not to Invade Lebanon

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2024. (EPA)
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French Foreign Minister Urges Israel Not to Invade Lebanon

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2024. (EPA)

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has urged Israel to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Lebanon and to reach a cease-fire with the Lebanese group Hezbollah after nearly two weeks of escalating tit-for-tat strikes across Israel's northern border.

“There is still hope, but there is little time left,” Barrot said during a news conference in Beirut Monday, just hours after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in the heart of the Lebanese capital. “I therefore urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire.”

He also urged Hezbollah to stop firing on Israel, saying it “bears heavy responsibility in the current situation, given its choice to enter the conflict” after ally Hamas’ Oct. 7 deadly incursion into southern Israel.

Barrot was in Lebanon to delivery medical aid and hospital equipment. He met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

He expressed solidarity with the Lebanese people, saying they are “caught in a war (they) did not choose,” and said France will provide flights for any French nationals who want to leave Lebanon.