Palestine says statehood ‘key’ to stability in Mideast region

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine said on Sunday that the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is the key to stability in the Middle East region.

“Everyone should know that Jerusalem and Palestine constitute the key to the solution and the future and stability of the region,” Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.

“Without the State of Palestine obtaining its full membership in the United Nations, realizing its independence on Palestinian land with East Jerusalem as its capital…, the region will remain in constant turmoil, enduring endless wars,” he added.

The Israeli government on Sunday approved a declaration rejecting the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

The move came amid reports of US-Arab efforts for a long-term peace plan between Israel and Palestinians that includes ''a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, that could be announced as early as the next several weeks,'' according to the Washington Post newspaper.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming all of Jerusalem as its “eternal and undivided” capital in a move never recognized by the international community.

The Palestinians, for their part, hope to establish an independent state of their own in the Gaza Strip and West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“The continuous Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem will not bring security or stability to anyone in the region or the world,” Abu Rudeineh said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The ensuing Israeli attacks have killed nearly 29,000 and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while less than 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi