Mahmoud Abbas says Israel is ‘waging a war against existence of Palestinians’

Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, said that Israel is waging a war “against the existence of the Palestinians, against the Palestinian national identity, the identity of the land and the identity of its inhabitants,” on Wednesday.

In his speech, which marked the 35th anniversary of the Palestinian declaration of independence in Ramallah, he added: “Palestine is our only homeland that we will not accept as an alternative, and if there is anyone who must leave our land, it is the occupation, and only the occupation.”