PLO senior official Mohammad Zazeh, speaking at the international Palestinian solidarity conference “Palestine: Manifestation of Muslim Ummah’s Unity” held in Karachi, Pakistan, this week said that Israel is an illegitimate state that must cease to exist.
Zazeh, who is described as one of the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the international Palestinian group headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said the PLO has never recognized Israel as a legitimate state, and that the 1993 Oslo Accords should not be misunderstood to have constituted Palestinian recognition of Israel.
“Israel is an illegitimate state. Palestine belongs to Palestinians. An independent state of Palestine is what the Palestinians will get recognized,” Zazeh said, according to Pakistan’s largest financial daily, the Business Recorder.
Zazeh added, “Palestine and al Quds belong to all Arabs and Muslims. This is sacred land.”
The U.S.-mediated preliminary peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians are set to begin soon in Washington, DC.