Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday took advantage of a meeting with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William Burns to attack Israel.
During the meeting, held at his Ramallah headquarters, Abbas accused Israel of “aggression” against Palestinian Arabs.
The PA chairman “briefed the US diplomat on dangerous developments and the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and the importance of urgent intervention to pressure the Israeli occupation government to stop its unilateral measures, and to abide by the signed agreements,” said a statement quoted by the PA’s official WAFA news agency.
Abbas also “stressed the necessity of restoring the political horizon on the basis of international legitimacy, in order to achieve security and stability for all in the region, and for the Palestinian people to achieve their freedom and independence in their state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders,” added the statement.
The meeting followed Friday night’s shooting attack in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem, in which seven people were murdered, and Saturday’s attack near the City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem, in which a father and son were injured.
Abbas has refused to condemn the attacks and has instead accused Israel of an escalation.
The attacks followed the PA’s announcement last Thursday that it is halting security coordination with Israel in the wake of Israel’s counterterrorism operation in Jenin.
The move was announced by the PA’s deputy cabinet leader, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, who said that “security coordination with the occupation government no longer exists as of now,” in light of the "repeated aggression against our people, and the undermining of signed agreements."
Abbas’ meeting with Burns was held a day before the visit to the region of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken is scheduled to meet with the PA chairman during the Ramallah portion of his visit.