Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed before the United Nations General Assembly that Israel is deliberately obstructing progress towards a two-state solution and can no longer be considered a reliable partner in the peace process, noting that “Israel, which denies resolutions that have international legitimacy, has decided not to be our partner in the peace process.”

Abbas emphasized that “Israel has continued to perpetuate this occupation, leaving us with no choice but to reconsider all existing relations with it.”

He added that Israel “with its current policy has sought and seeks to destroy the two-state solution”, adding that this “convincingly proves that it does not believe in peace.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, responded that “President Abbas is using the United Nations as a platform to incite hatred against Israel while glorifying the terrorists he finances himself,” adding that he gave a “speech full of lies and completely cut off from reality.”