Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on a building, amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in Gaza City May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Ramallah - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed in a telephone conversation on Wednesday the international efforts exerted to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip.
The two sides also discussed the efforts to hold a meeting for the General Assembly scheduled for tomorrow in New York, and to continue the work to issue a Security Council resolution.
President Abbas stressed the need for an immediate cessation of the Israeli brutal attacks against the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip, which have caused catastrophe and devastation, calling to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for the commission of these crimes.
He further stressed the need to put an end to the Israeli extremist settler attacks, which are backed by the Israeli forces, against the Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem and the attempts to forcibly expel Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, as well as the attacks against Muslim and Christian holy places in the city.
For his part, the UN Secretary-General affirmed that the United Nations is exerting increased efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire and calm, to provide urgent humanitarian relief assistance, and to continue working with the International Quartet to achieve a political horizon that leads to a comprehensive and just peace in accordance with international law.
