France seeks 'momentum' before recognizing Palestinian state
A letter was delivered on Monday, June 9, to the French president's desk. At the same time, a copy was sent to Mohammed bin Salman ("MBS"), the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Signed by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the missive came as a boost for the Elysée, just days before the International Conference on the Peaceful Resolution of the Question of Palestine, organized by Paris and Riyadh at the United Nations headquarters in New York from June 17 to 21.
The 89-year-old leader listed the gestures hoped for by the French president, delivering a forceful appeal to Hamas to immediately release all hostages, and pledging support for a demilitarized Hamas that would play no further role in the governance of a Palestinian state. "The Palestinian State should be the sole provider of security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarized State," wrote the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Abbas also promised a thorough reform of the PA, including holding presidential and legislative elections within one year. "We are ready to fully fulfill our part in establishing a credible path to end the occupation and advance toward achieving an independent and sovereign Palestinian state and implementing the two-state solution, within a clear timetable and with strong international guarantees," he wrote, saying he was "ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a stabilization/protection mission with a [UN] Security Council mandate."
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