Palestinian president urges UN to suspend Israel's membership

UNITED NATIONS - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday demanded the suspension of Israel's UN membership unless it honors its commitment to implementing relevant UN resolutions.

The total number of resolutions regarding the Palestinians adopted by the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Human Rights Council is "around 1,000," Abbas said at a high-level special meeting on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe.

"To date, not one single resolution was implemented."

"Therefore, we demand today officially, in accordance with international law and international resolutions, to make sure that Israel respects these resolutions or suspend Israel's membership in the UN, particularly since Israel never fulfilled its obligations and the prerequisite for its membership in this organization," he said.

The president also singled out Britain and the United States for responsibility for the Nakba in 1948 and continued Palestinian suffering till today.

"Britain and the United States specifically bear political and ethical responsibility directly for the Nakba of the Palestinian people, because they took part in rendering our people victim when they decided to establish and plant another entity in our historic homeland for their own colonial goals and objectives," said Abbas. "And Israel would not have continued its hostility and aggression without the support it receives from these two countries."

Nakba Day is marked annually by the Palestinians on May 15 to remember the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, towns, and villages in 1948 after the creation of the state of Israel. - XINHUA