Democracy Now: Palestinian Authority President Calls for Mass Protests to Back Statehood Bid
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is calling for massive protests to support the Palestinian campaign for statehood recognition at the United Nations. The PA is seeking a vote in September that would recognize an independent Palestinian state in the Occupied Territories. Israel and the United States have launched a fierce campaign to thwart the effort, and U.S. lawmakers have threatened the cutoff of aid to Palestinians if the bid goes ahead. Addressing a Palestinian Liberation Organization meeting, Abbas said wide-scale popular resistance is needed to support the statehood campaign.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: “Every day, we face what induces us to carry out popular resistance on a wide scale, and not in one place and not by one group. If we really want this, let’s do it. I insist on popular resistance, and I insist that it be unarmed popular resistance.”
