The presidency announced that the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, will present the Palestinian vision to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause at the emergency Arab summit in Cairo on March 4.

The presidency added that the plan includes elements that would preserve the legitimate rights of our Palestinian people, ensure their steadfastness and stability on their land, prevent displacement attempts, and rebuild what the occupation destroyed in Gaza and the West Bank, leading to the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, by ending the Israeli occupation, and embodying the Palestinian state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The following are the most important elements of the Palestinian vision:

1. Enabling the State of Palestine and its legitimate government to assume its duties and responsibilities in the Gaza Strip as in the West Bank, based on the unity of the Palestinian territory, its political system, and its geographical, political, and legal jurisdiction, and ensuring the complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. We stress the necessity of receiving all crossings, including the Kerem Shalom and Rafah border crossings with Egypt, and operating them in cooperation with Egypt and the European Union in accordance with the 2005 agreement.

In this context, the Palestinian government, based on its responsibilities and within its capabilities, has mobilized its energies and available resources in the Gaza Strip to restore water and electricity services, help the displaced return to their areas, provide them with shelter, open roads, activate health and education services, and provide humanitarian aid within the framework of the early recovery plan that is being supervised by a government team.

In this regard, the government has formed a working committee for Gaza affairs, whose tasks include supporting the government’s efforts in coordinating the provision of humanitarian, social and health services, and providing temporary shelter. The committee is composed of competent people from the Gaza Strip who are known for their integrity, transparency and experience in the affairs of the sector, headed by a minister from the Palestinian government.

2. The Palestinian government has prepared a plan for recovery and reconstruction, while keeping the population inside the Strip, in consultation and cooperation with our brothers in Egypt and international organizations, including the World Bank, United Nations organizations, and the European Union. It will be submitted to the Arab Summit for approval.

We are working with our brothers in Egypt and the United Nations to hold the International Reconstruction Conference as soon as possible, in which we call on our brothers and friends from countries and international organizations to participate effectively in this conference and to provide their contribution within the framework of the International Credit Fund in cooperation with the World Bank.

We highly appreciate the continued support of many countries around the world for UNRWA, which operates under a UN mandate and provides important and indispensable services.

3. The President stressed the continuation of implementing the reform and development program in various institutional, legal and service fields, in order to provide the best services to our Palestinian people. This program has received wide international welcome and support, and the government is working with the World Bank and specialized international organizations to ensure the application of the best practices and standards in its reform program.

4. President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, calls for the necessity of working to achieve a comprehensive and long-term truce in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, in exchange for halting unilateral Israeli actions that violate international law, halting practices and policies that undermine the two-state solution, weakening the Palestinian National Authority, and preserving the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which opens the way for a political path based on international legitimacy and international law.

5. The President reiterates his emphasis on the importance of continuing political and legal action in all forums and courts, based on the fact that implementing the two-state solution based on international legitimacy, leading to the embodiment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, is the only guarantee that achieves security and stability in the region. This calls for accelerating the holding of the international peace conference next June under the joint presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France, continuing to mobilize energies, and preparing for the success of this conference through the preparations being made by the global coalition that includes more than 90 countries, achieving more international recognition, and the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.

6. The President stresses the importance of achieving national unity on the basis of commitment to the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, its political program, its international obligations, and the principle of one system, one law, and one legitimate weapon. The President stresses that the democratic option and resorting to the ballot box is the only way to respect the will of the people to choose their representatives through general elections, presidential and legislative, held in all Palestinian territories, in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as was done in all previous elections, one year from now if the appropriate conditions are available, which we call on everyone to contribute to preparing.

In conclusion, His Excellency the President thanks his fellow Arab leaders for holding this summit, and wishes it success in achieving its goals.