Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday vowed his government will continue to pay monthly stipends to convicted terrorists and their families, in what is known in Israel as pay-for-slay.
His remarks were made in a speech marking the 74th anniversary of the “Nakba,” commemorating what is known by Palestinians as the “catastrophe” of the establishment of the State of Israel.
Palestinians sounded sirens for 74 seconds in protests all over the West Bank, marking the number of years since Israel’s founding.
Abbas also reiterated his commitment to the “right of return,” a core Palestinian demand for solving the conflict that would see Palestinian refugees and their descendants — who now number more than six million — return to Israel to their former homes.
“The Palestinian people and their leadership will not rest until all prisoners enjoy freedom,” Abbas said according to the Jerusalem Post.
He added that he was proud of the “steadfastness of the brave prisoners held in occupation prisons” and would remain committed “to the rights of the families of the martyrs and prisoners.”
“The great Palestinian people cannot be defeated because they have a just issue that cannot be obliterated by false narratives,” Abbas said.
He called on Israel’s leaders “to get out of the cycle of denial of the other because it will not bring security and stability to anyone.”
The Palestinians will not agree to give up any of their rights, he said, especially the right to a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Mahmoud al-Aloul, deputy chairman of Abbas’ ruling Fatah faction, said at a large rally in central Ramallah that the Palestinians will be “triumphant” in “restoring their homeland.”
The “battles” with Israel are ongoing, he went on, before vowing that the “sacrifices of the martyrs, injured and the prisoners will never stop.”
PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called for an end to the “double standards” of the international community must end.
“It is unreasonable that one refugee receives the attention of the world, while another is neglected by the world,” he said, in an apparent reference to Ukrainian refugees. “This is unacceptable.”
“Our people are increasingly insisting on their right to return and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” the PA premier said. “We will remain committed and loyal to our principles. We will continue to fight for them until they are all accomplished.”
The Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group also released a statement on the occasion of the Nakba, emphasizing that there is “no legitimacy or sovereignty” for Israel “over one inch of the land of historic Palestine.”
“Our people will remain committed to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Palestine, from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea,” the statement read.
Hamas also vowed to continue its “armed resistance” against Israel “until the aspirations of our people are achieved.”
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