Abbas to Putin: The tragedies of 1948 and 1967 must not be repeated, and with your support and assistance we will achieve our goal

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed the need not to repeat the "tragedy of 1948 and 1967 with the displacement of Palestinians," addressing President Vladimir Putin, saying: "With your support and assistance, we will achieve our goal."

In a statement during his meeting with Putin in the Russian capital, Moscow, Abbas said, “The friendship that connects our two peoples is a friendship that has connected us for decades, between the Palestinian people on the one hand, then the Soviet Union and then the Russian Federation,” noting that “throughout this time, we have always felt that Russia, government and people, stands by the Palestinian people because it stands by the right.”

He pointed out that "when President Putin actually talks about international legitimacy, this international legitimacy that began in 1947 until today and included more than a thousand resolutions from the Security Council and the General Assembly and from human rights, but unfortunately the United Nations failed due to American pressure and the American position, it failed to give us a single resolution to be implemented against the Palestinian people."

The Palestinian President expressed his confidence in Russia's interest in what is happening in the Middle East, pointing to the ongoing contacts and consultations between the leadership of the two countries, through diplomatic channels.

He said: "We feel warm in our relationship with Russia, and we feel a lot of interest in what concerns Russia and our Russian friends and brothers, and we are with you in what you are suffering from these days in terms of security crises and others, driven from here and there. We stand by Russia without a doubt."

Abbas also referred to the recommendations of the International Court of Justice, "which were very clear, and contained comprehensive recommendations against the Israeli occupation, settlement, and expansion, and demanded that the Security Council, the General Assembly, and all countries of the world, and demanded that Israel itself abandon the shameful positions that are inconsistent with human rights."

He stressed, "We are always in dire need to consult with you. You are our great friends. We trust your opinion and we are always with you as you are together. We feel that Russia is one of the closest friends of the Palestinian people and supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state." He added, "We are suffering greatly in Gaza. 40,000 people have been killed since October 7, about 80,000 wounded, and 15 missing, in addition to what is happening in the West Bank and Jerusalem... but we are patient and steadfast in our land."

He called for stopping the fighting, providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and not displacing Palestinians from their place of residence, stressing that "the Palestinian people will not allow or accept displacement from the West Bank and Gaza." Addressing Putin, he said: "And you are with us in this, from Jerusalem to the outside as happened in 1948... The tragedy of 1948 and 1967 will not be repeated. With your support and assistance, we will achieve our goal."