In a statement issued Monday, the Secretariat welcomed these recognitions, noting they would not have been possible without the political and diplomatic efforts led by President Mahmoud Abbas in international forums and the UN, alongside global conviction that Palestinians have endured historic injustice since 1948. It said the time has come to correct this wrong, as Israel continues genocide in Gaza and annexation in the West Bank, turning itself into an apartheid state that restricts self-determination to Jews alone.
The Secretariat emphasized that decades of Palestinian struggle have yielded positive results, reflected in intensified international recognition of Palestine under occupation. It called on Britain, author of the Balfour Declaration, to advance political steps that could end the occupation permanently.
It also urged countries recognizing Palestine to pressure Israel to lift the siege on Jerusalem, isolated from the West Bank since the Gulf War and further tightened after October 7, 2023. The city has become a ghost town under military rule, economic blockade, and forced displacement policies.
The statement highlighted recent Israeli measures that turned villages northwest of Jerusalem into a separate “ghetto,” issuing magnetic cards and crossing permits to detach them from Jerusalem and the West Bank, ignoring international appeals. Such practices, it warned, destroy hopes for lasting peace and the two-state solution, for which France and Saudi Arabia are convening a global conference.
The Secretariat insisted that recognition of Palestine must be followed by tangible actions, including economic boycotts of Israel and halting arms exports used to kill Palestinians and arm settlers who attack villages, seize land, and enjoy army protection.
It concluded that the Palestinian right to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, under President Abbas, is enshrined in international law. Recent recognitions, it said, dealt Israel a blow from the global community, which increasingly acknowledges that Palestinians deserve life, freedom, and statehood.