The final statement of the 33rd Arab Summit, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, condemned "Tel Aviv's obstruction of ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip and denounced the occupation forces' persistence in expanding their aggression against the Palestinian city of Rafah, despite international warnings of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of doing so."

The statement also condemned the occupation forces’ control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with the aim of tightening the siege on civilians in the Gaza Strip, which led to the cessation of the operation of the crossing, the cessation of the flow of humanitarian aid, and the loss of the Palestinian people of Gaza’s main lifeline. It called on Israel to withdraw from Rafah “in order to Ensuring safe humanitarian access.

In the same context, the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, said, “We have decided to complete the implementation of the decisions of the Central Council of the PLO regarding the relationship with the occupying state, in the face of the Israeli rejection of peace and the Arab Peace Initiative, the continued aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip, the destruction of the institutions of the State of Palestine, and the occupation’s attacks and settler terrorism” in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

In his speech before the thirty-third Arab Summit, held in the Bahraini capital, Manama, today, Thursday, President Abbas called on the Arab brothers and friends to review their relations with the occupying state, and to link its continuation to stopping its open war against the Palestinian people, their land, and their sanctities, and returning to the path of peace and international legitimacy.

He added: “About 120,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, became martyrs and wounded, over a period of more than seven months, with American cover and support that defies international legitimacy and violates norms and morals, while the occupying state continues its attacks on our people, their land, and their religious sanctities in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, through its army and terrorist settlers.”

Regarding internal affairs, President Abbas said: “Hamas’ position of refusing to end the division and return to the umbrella of Palestinian legitimacy served the Israeli plan that the occupation government was working to implement before the seventh of last October to perpetuate the separation of the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and Jerusalem, in order to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.” It weakens the National Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization.”

He added: "The military operation carried out by Hamas with a unilateral decision on that day provided Israel with more pretexts and justifications to attack the Gaza Strip and continue killing, destroying and displacing it."

The President renewed his position of absolute rejection of targeting civilians, stressing that the first priority now is to immediately stop the aggression, increase the arrival of humanitarian aid, prevent the displacement of our people from Gaza or the West Bank, and immediately begin implementing the two-state solution based on international legitimacy.

Regarding the financial crisis, he said: “We formed a new government of competencies to implement relief, reform and institutional development programmes, achieve financial, economic and security stability, and reconstruction, and it was received warmly by the world, but it was not provided with any financial support, despite Israel continuing to withhold our money.”

President Abbas stressed that the time has become urgent to activate the Arab safety network, to strengthen the steadfastness of our people, and to enable the government to carry out its duties.

The President stressed the need to demand that the United States put pressure on the occupying state to release our seized funds, and that it itself stop using its veto against our people, and that it adhere to international law, and stop the policy of double standards.

The President expressed his appreciation to the countries that voted in favor of raising Palestine's status in the General Assembly to a full member state, praising the countries that recently recognized the State of Palestine.