Qais Abu Samra, Rania Abu Shamala
20 February 2025•Update: 20 February 2025
RAMALLAH, Palestine
The Palestinian Presidency unveiled key points Thursday of the vision that President Mahmoud Abbas will present at an upcoming emergency Arab summit to address the current challenges facing the Palestinian cause.
Cairo will host the emergency summit March 4 to discuss the Palestinian cause amid mounting challenges, including mass destruction in the Gaza Strip resulting from Israel’s genocidal war and US President Donald Trump’s alleged plan to “take over” the enclave after the forced displacement of its Palestinian residents.
In a statement carried by the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, the Palestinian Presidency emphasized that Abbas’ vision includes elements that “would preserve the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, ensure their steadfastness and stability on their land, prevent displacement attempts, and rebuild what the occupation destroyed in Gaza and the West Bank, leading to the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, by ending the Israeli occupation, and embodying the Palestinian state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The statement said the vision calls for empowering the Palestinian state and its legitimate government to “assume full responsibility for Gaza, just as it does for the West Bank.”
It stresses the necessity of “the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, as well as taking control of all border crossings, including Karm Abu Salem and the Rafah crossings with Egypt, to be operated with the cooperation of Egypt and the European Union, in line with the 2005 agreement.”
The 2005 border agreement was brokered by the US and the EU after Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005. It was designed to regulate the management and operation of border crossings, particularly Rafah.
Abbas’ vision highlights that “the Palestinian government has mobilized its resources to restore vital services in Gaza, including water and electricity, assist displaced people, provide temporary shelter, open roads, and activate healthcare and education services.”
The vision outlines a recovery and reconstruction plan that will be implemented while keeping the population within the strip. It will be achieved in collaboration with Egypt, international organizations, the World Bank and the EU.
Abbas emphasized “the ongoing implementation of institutional, legal, and service reforms, aimed at improving the services provided to the Palestinian people.”
The president reiterated “the importance of achieving a comprehensive and long-term ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.”
He also reaffirmed “the importance of continued political and legal efforts in international forums and courts, with the ultimate goal of achieving the two-state solution based on international law.”
Abbas stressed the importance of “achieving national unity based on the commitment to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. This includes adherence to the PLO’s political program, international commitments, and principles of one system, one law, and a single legitimate authority.”
He emphasized that “democratic elections are the only legitimate way to respect the will of the Palestinian people, with general, presidential, and legislative elections to be held in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem within a year, provided the necessary conditions are met.”
The president also expressed his gratitude to Arab leaders for convening the summit and wished them success in achieving its goals.
