FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. AFP
During the Sports Diplomacy summit, President Abbas said the State of Palestine seeks to get rid of the Israeli occupation and stop its aggression on the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, for a free Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Abbas added that despite all the difficulties created by the occupation, Palestinian athletes, like the rest of their people, continue with perseverance and steadfastness to achieve proud achievements, and the State of Palestine embodies sports diplomacy, through its participation in all international sports forums, according to WAFA.
"This summit is being held while the region is facing great dangers due to the insistence of the Israeli occupation state on the approach of aggression and violence. The Palestinian people, including our athletes, as well as the Lebanese people are being subjected to a brutal Israeli aggression, which has claimed the lives of thousands of children, women, and the elderly," the Palestinian president affirmed.
He also noted that the Israeli war has destroyed more than 90 percent of the strip's infrastructure, including sports facilities and installations.
Moreover, Abbas emphasized that peace and tolerance cannot coexist with occupation, racial discrimination, ethnic cleansing, oppression, and injustice, which prevent the Palestinian people from achieving their aspirations for freedom and independence.
Additionally, he called on the international community to intervene immediately to stop the brutal aggressions against Palestine and Lebanon.
President Abbas also stressed that holding this Asian summit under the title: "Sports Diplomacy" represents an opportunity to enhance dialogue in a language not less influential than official diplomacy.
Such diplomacy eliminates barriers and provides spaces for human relations based on fair competition, within the framework of governing laws, regardless of identity, religion, race, or language, he asserted.
Short link: