Palestinian president calls for suspension of Israel’s UN membership

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called for Israel’s suspension from the UN General Assembly.

“I call for suspending Israel’s membership in the General Assembly until it fulfills its obligations and the conditions for accepting its membership and implements all the resolutions of the UN and its bodies,” he said in his address to the UN General Assembly in New York.

Israel has long violated numerous UN resolutions concerning the Palestinian issue, including its occupation of the West Bank, settlement expansion, and disregarding calls to halt military operations in Gaza, where it has killed more than 41,000 people since last October.

On this matter, Abbas said, Palestine would formally submit a request to the president of the General Assembly.

He said Israel, “which refuses to implement UN resolutions and has called for the removing of the UN building, is not worthy of membership in this international organization.”

Abbas asserted that “Palestine must assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip to exercise its full jurisdiction over it, including the border crossings, as part of a comprehensive plan.”

He also expressed regret over the US administration “vetoing three Security Council resolutions calling on Israel to agree to a cease-fire, and on top of that, it has provided it with deadly weapons.”

Condemning Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's call to build a synagogue inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Abbas said such statements are meant to “ignite a religious war that will burn everything.”

“This reckless minister and his ilk must be condemned and stopped,” he said.

The Palestinian leader said “Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings are the exclusive property of Muslims, and this was approved by the League of Nations in 1930, and we will not accept anything else, no matter the circumstances.”

Regarding Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, Abbas said “Israel has reoccupied the entire Gaza Strip and almost completely destroyed it, making it an uninhabitable place.