Moscow (Agencies)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has declared that the Gaza Strip must be returned to the control of the legitimate Palestinian authorities, and that Israeli plans for temporary control of the Strip are unacceptable. “Gaza must be administered under the supervision of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the legitimate Palestinian government,” Abbas told the Russian news agency RIA in remarks published yesterday. “We strongly oppose Israeli plans that provide some temporary solutions.”
The Palestinian president said the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week was aimed at prolonging the war in Gaza, adding that he would discuss the crisis with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Russian news agency RIA quoted a diplomatic source as saying that Abbas would make the long-expected visit to Russia from August 12 to 14 for talks with Putin.
In another context, a responsible source in Hamas confirmed yesterday that the movement has closed the file of indirect negotiations with Israel until further notice, despite “Arab and international pressures that the movement is exposed to to reach an agreement that calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.” The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that the movement’s decision to freeze negotiations with Israel came after the assassination of its political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, amid accusations that Israel carried out the assassination.
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