Beji Caid Essebsi
Beji Caid EssebsiReuters

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi called for the “two-state solution” for the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict in his speech at the Arab League summit held in Tunis on Sunday.

Essebsi said that “a just and comprehensive settlement can only be achieved through the two-state solution and with Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine,” as quoted by the Palestinian Arab Ma’an news agency.

The Tunisian president called to intensify efforts and Arab coordination in order to put an end to all decisions and measures aimed at harming the Palestinian cause, in addition to addressing all that would prejudice the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

He reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause in the joint Arab work and putting it back in the spotlight on the international arena.

"Regional and international stability will only be achieved through a just and comprehensive settlement to the Palestinian issue," claimed Essebsi, adding, "Guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people, and lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, based on the resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab peace initiative and the principle of a two-state solution."

Speaking at the same summit, Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas attacked Israel and the United States.

"Israel is not satisfied with the theft of land and resources, but also cut our tax money on the pretext that we are paying it to shaheeds and prisoners," Abbas said, in a reference to the Israeli Cabinet’s decision to implement the policy to offset the PA’s payments to terrorists.

"We are at the threshold of difficult times," Abbas added. "After Israel destroyed the agreements and ran away from all its commitments since Oslo, it continues its policy of destroying the two-state solution in a way that causes us to lose hope in the peace process. I make it clear that we will be unable to bear the current situation much longer, and therefore sooner or later we will have to take fateful steps."

The summit takes place as the US prepares to present its peace plan for Israel and the PA, which will be unveiled after next week’s elections in Israel.

Abbas has rejected the US peace plan before it has even been unveiled. The PA has been boycotting the US ever since President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December of 2017.

While the plan has not yet been made public, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, recently discussed it in an interview with Sky News in Arabic.

While Kushner did not get into many specifics, he did say the plan “is very detailed and will focus on delineating the border and providing solutions to the main issues that are controversial and will be appropriate for the current situation on the ground.”