Palestine: Abbas calls for national political dialogue in speech marking 58th anniversary of Fatah

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday called for a national political dialogue, during a speech broadcast on the 58th anniversary of the foundation of the Fatah political movement he leads.

Abbas made his remarks in a recorded speech broadcast by official station Palestine TV, which also came just two days after a new far-right Israeli government took power.

He said: "We call everyone to a comprehensive Palestinian national political dialogue in the near future, to work, address issues and take responsibility together and move towards achieving the goals of our people.

"Fifty-eight years after the start of the revolution, Palestine is still steadfast, proud of its history, its present and its resilient people.

"We say to the occupiers, the greater your tyranny, the more our people will be stronger, determined and insistent in confronting your aggression and terrorism, and in holding to their land and legitimate national rights."

It comes after one of the most extreme Israeli governments ever took the reins on Thursday, having pledged to expand settlements, including in the occupied West Bank.

"The Israeli government's extremist and racist plans will inevitably fail with our persistence on our land," said Abbas.

The Palestinian president also referred to the so-called "deal of the century", a 2020 plan for solving the Israel-Palestine conflict put forward by then-US President Donald Trump.

At the time, Abbas decried the highly controversial proposal as the "slap of the century".

"Just as we brought down the deal of the century, we will bring down the colonial occupation's plots, with our unity, with our commitment to our national principles, and with our peaceful popular resistance," Abbas said in the speech televised on Saturday.

The call for a national political dialogue comes despite fractures between Fatah and its main rival, Hamas, which rules the besieged Gaza Strip and celebrated the 35th anniversary of its establishment in December.

Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces summoned and detained over 30 students from Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron in the days leading up to the anniversary commemorations due to their alleged links with Hamas.

Christmas celebrations returned to Bethlehem this year. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem led the Christmas Eve mass and wished peace and reconciliation to all, after a year that saw a lot of violence, "especially in Palestine" he said.
🎥:@Reemkhabbazy pic.twitter.com/9m2VXrwX3O

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) December 28, 2022

Fatah is by far the strongest faction in the PA, which administers parts of the West Bank.

Palestinian rights groups condemned the arrest campaign as illegal, saying that the authorities had targeted the civilians due to their political affiliations.

"We have documented the arrests of tens of activists and student leaders," said the Independent Commission for Human Rights Palestine.

"We remain extremely concerned at the manner in which these arrests took place – using excessive force and intimidation against the families of detainees during their arrest."