Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ office issued a sharp response to remarks made by Minister of Settlements Orit Strock of the Religious Zionist Party.
In an interview broadcast on Kol Barama Radio, Strock stated, “The Gaza Strip is part of the Land of Israel according to international law and according to the UN Partition Plan." She added, “Had I known we would reach this slope and not reach that goal, I would have resigned from the government immediately."
In response, Abbas’ office declared that “Strock’s claims are null and have no basis in truth," and attached a map of the 1947 Partition Plan to support its position.
The statement continued, “The Partition Plan stipulates that the Palestinian state must be established on 45 percent of historic Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Western Galilee."
It further asserted that “all UN resolutions, Security Council decisions, and international law confirm that Strock’s remarks are distorted, and clarify that the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Palestinian land occupied since 1967, similar to the West Bank and East Jerusalem."