Abbas says ‘Jerusalem issue’ put him in the hospital

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, after he is discharged from the hospital, where he was in treatment for nine days, implies that recent developments in Jerusalem, notably the US recognition of the city as Israel’s capital, and the transfer of its embassy there, negatively impacted his health.

Wearing a dark suit and speaking in a steady voice, Abbas says he will quickly return to work and thanks supporters around the world for checking in on him while he was in the hospital.

“Thank God I’m discharged from the hospital today in full health, and will return back to work from tomorrow,” Abbas says.

But he hints that the heavy work load and stress of the US recognition of Jerusalem had affected his health.

“If the Jerusalem issue put me in the hospital, I want to leave while Jerusalem is our capital,” he tells reporters in a brief statement.

— with AP