Abbas seeks Arab and world protection for the Palestinians (Extra)

Mar 29, 2008, 13:36 GMT

Damascus - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday called on the Syrian-hosted Arab summit to help the Palestinians getting Arab and international protection in the Palestinian territories.

'Amid the ongoing Israeli escalation in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, we are seeking Arab and international protection of our people,' Abbas said in a speech to the summit.

Abbas focused in his speech on the Israeli practices in the Palestinian territories, mainly the expansion of Jewish settlements, building the wall, arrests in the West Bank and the military offensives on the Gaza Strip.

'Israel is practicing collective punishments against the Palestinian people. It hasn't stopped the ongoing arrests of Palestinians in the West Bank, keeping in jail more than 11,000 people,' said Abbas.

Abbas said he had offered a full and mutual truce with Israel and a plan to rule Gaza Strip crossings, including the crossing on the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Abbas also said that the PA accepted the Yemeni initiative of reconciliation, where he called on Hamas 'to end its control of Gaza and accept the commitments of Palestine Liberation Organization to the peace process.'

The seven-point Yemeni-brokered initiative of reconciliation between rival Fatah and hamas called for holding early legislative and presidential elections in the Palestinian territories.

'We accepted the Yemeni initiative and we believe that it should be implemented without any amendment or changes,' said Abbas about the Yemeni plan which calls for a restoration of the Gaza situation to that before June 2007 when Hamas took sole control of the strip after bloody fighting with Fatah.

However, Hamas said it only accepted the Yemeni initiative as being the basis to resume a dialoge on all the outstanding issues.