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Investigations into Arafat's death come a long way: Abbas

Xinhua, November 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday that the investigations into the death of late leader Yasser Arafat come a long way and will continue until unveiling the truth.

"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," said Abbas in a televised recorded message aired on Palestine TV on Wednesday.

The Palestinians marked on Wednesday the 11th anniversary for the death of Arafat who died of a mysterious disease in 2004 in a French hospital. The Palestinians accused Israel of poisoning him.

"The committee will carry on with its investigation until the truth is unveiled," said Abbas, adding that "We tell Yasser Arafat that we are following his steps and we are sticking to our national merits and rights."

Abbas stressed in his recorded speech that the Palestinians "are insisting, exactly as Arafat insisted, to live in dignity and gain their freedom after getting rid of settlement, ending the occupation and establish their independent state."

He went on saying that "security and stability in the region won't be achieved unless the Israeli occupation is ended on our lands and holy sites and the Palestinian state is established with east Jerusalem as its capital."

Abbas, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, also addressed a message to the Israeli people through his recorded televised speech that "the measures of your government to make the occupation longer are illegal and all are rejected."

"These 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," said Abbas.

Abbas stressed in his message to the Israelis that the current status quo "will never continue," adding that "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," said Abbas.

In early October, a wave of tension and violent confrontations broke out between Israel and the Palestinians, where 82 Palestinians and 11 Israelis had been already killed and hundreds wounded. Endit