Ramallah – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, on Wednesday said though investigation into the death of their late leader, Yasser Arafat, had come a long way, it would continue until truth about it was unveiled.
He reportedly made the affirmation in a recorded televised message in Riyadh, to Palestinians in commemoration of 11th anniversary of the death of Arafat.
Arafat died of a mysterious disease in a French hospital in 2004.
“We affirm to our people that the national committee to probe the death circumstances of our symbolic leader, Yasser Arafat, has come a long way,’’ Abbas said, assuring that the committee would press on with the probe until truth was revealed.
“We tell Yasser Arafat that we are following his steps and we are sticking to our national merits and rights,’’ he added, stressing that Palestinians were insisting, exactly as Arafat insisted, to live in dignity and freedom’’.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560”]
‘’Security and stability in the region won’t be achieved unless the Israeli occupation is ended on the lands and holy sites and the Palestinian state is established with east Jerusalem as its capital,’’ he maintained.
Abbas, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, also addressed a message to the Israeli people, saying “the measures of your government to make the occupation longer are illegal and all are rejected.”
He said such measures and the expansion of settlements as well as the violations of ‘’our holy sites are certainly making peace impossible and enlarges the flames of the conflict.’’
“We will keep sticking to our political and legal work as well as to the peaceful popular resistance to gain our national rights.
“We will never accept to resume the negotiations and be the sole party that is committed to the signed peace accords while Israel is not,” he stated.
In early October, a wave of tension and violent confrontations broke out between Israel and the Palestinians, where 82 Palestinians and 11 Israelis were killed and hundreds wounded. (Xinhua/NAN)