NEW YORK: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has called for Israel to end its “aggression” against the Palestinian people or be suspended from the United Nations (UN) during a speech observing the 75th anniversary of the “Nakba”, AFP reported on Monday.
Over 760,000 Palestinian people fled or were expelled from their houses in 1948 when Israel was formed, an event Palestinians call “Nakba”, or disaster, and observe on May 15.
The UN is commemorating “Nakba” at its headquarters in New York in the current year for the first time, following a resolution was adopted in November.
Mahmud Abbas Asks UN to ‘Suspend’ Israel on Nakba Anniversary
President Mahmud Abbas said in his speech, “We (Palestinians) demand today formally, as per international law and resolutions, to make certain that Israel respects these international resolutions or suspend Israel’s membership of the United Nations (UN),”.
He spoke in Arabic and accused Israel of having “never fulfilled its obligations and the requisites for its membership” of the United Nations (UN). Mahmud Abbas counted “about 1,000 resolutions” approved by the UN General Assembly, UNSC, and Human Rights Council related to Israel. He added that till date, not a single resolution was executed.
The Palestinian president said that “Nakba did not initiate in 1948 and it did not stop following that date.”
“Israel the occupying force continues its aggression and occupation against the Palestinians and continues to deny this “Nakba” and resolutions about the return of Palestinian refugees to their motherland,” he added.
5.9 million refugees are living in the Gaza Strip, occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the United Nations reported. The recall of the “Nakba” has become a uniting point for the Palestinian pursuit for statehood.
