Abbas spoke by telephone this Sunday with the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. During the conversation, he reiterated his position in favor of the Palestinian cause and the right to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian leader “reiterated his opposition to the killing of civilians on both sides and called for the release of all civilians, prisoners and detainees on both sides.”according to Wafa’s report.
Mature, in conversation, committed to sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and said he supported the cause of freedom for the Palestinian people, according to Wafa.
Abbas also declared the need for an end to Israel’s “war of aggression” “against the Palestinian people.” and called for the creation of humanitarian corridors and the delivery of aid, medicine, water and electricity to Gaza.
He also said that the movement of Palestinians from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip must be stoppedunder threat of “transformation into a new Nakba for our people”.
Nakba means “catastrophe” in Arabic. This is how the Palestinian exodus that followed the ArabIsraeli War of 1948 came to light, shortly after Israel’s declaration of independence. According to the United Nations (UN), around 71,000 Palestinians were displaced from their land following the conflict. The episode marked the beginning of the Palestinian refugees’ problems.