From Abbas accuses Israel of ‘entrenching apartheid,’ digging tunnels under Al-Aqsa Mosque
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
PA President Mahmoud Abbas blasts Israel at the outset of his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, accusing it of “entrenching apartheid.”
“This occupation violates the principles of international law and international legitimacy,” says Abbas, calling on the UN to implement its resolutions and see the birth of a fully independent Palestinian state.
He demands an end to occupation, and an independent Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the pre-1967 lines, and with the refugee issue resolved in accordance with UN resolutions.
He calls the current Israeli government “racist and right-wing” and accuses it of stealing money and resources, and holding the bodies of 600 Palestinian “martyrs.”
Abbas says Israel is assaulting Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
He accuses the “Israel occupation government” of “feverishly digging tunnels under and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque” atop the Temple Mount, which would cause an “explosion of untold consequences.”
