Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - President Mahmoud Abbas affirmed, on Monday evening, the Palestinian leadership's keenness to hold general elections if it is possible to hold them in the city of East Jerusalem according to the agreements signed under international supervision.

This came when President Abbas received Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his accompanying delegation at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.

The two sides discussed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Palestine, as well as with the European Union and its member states.

President Abbas briefed the Dutch Prime Minister on the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, the closing of the political horizon, and the dangerous Israeli practices against the Palestinian people, their land and sanctities, which undermine the two-state solution, stressing the importance of the role that the Netherlands can play in making peace.

President Abbas extended his thanks and appreciation to the Netherlands for its positions in support of peace on the basis of the two-state solution and the return of the political horizon in accordance with international law, appreciating the economic support and the importance of restoring bilateral cooperation at the governmental level and businessmen in all fields.

He also appreciated the Netherlands' provision of valuable assistance to the Palestinian people in the fields of justice, police, water, crossings and technology (the program to support young entrepreneurs), stressing the importance of the Netherlands' support for making amendments to the Association Agreement with the European Union.

In turn, the Dutch Prime Minister affirmed his country's support for the two-state solution based on international legitimacy resolutions, and the continuation of providing support to the Palestinian people to build their institutions and national economy, expressing the Netherlands' readiness to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, and the importance of strengthening relations with the European Union.