Dr. Ashrawi: Meeting with Visiting Delegations and Diplomat
Dr. Ashrawi Conducts Several Meetings with Visiting Delegations and Diplomats
Over the past few days, PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, conducted a series of separate meetings with a CAABU (The Council for Arab-British Understanding)/MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) delegation which featured Rt. Hon Liam Byrne MP, Gavin Shuker MP, Chris Doyle and James Denselow; former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Andreas van Agt; a visiting American delegation from Guilford College; and French Consul General Hervé Magro.
In her meetings, Dr. Ashrawi discussed the latest facts on the ground and the escalation of Israeli violations of international law and acts of ongoing aggression, the most recent Palestinian political and multilateral initiatives and the implications of the ICC move and future steps in that context, and the urgent need for governments and parliaments worldwide to hold Israel accountable before it is too late, to recognize the State of Palestine and to support Palestinian efforts at ending the occupation and achieving independence, as well as the horrific outcomes from Israel’s war on Gaza last summer and the need for genuine reconciliation and rapid relief and reconstruction in Gaza.
In her meeting with Consul General Magro, Dr. Ashrawi, on behalf of the Palestinian leadership and people, conveyed her condolences to France and expressed her appreciation to the French government for distinguishing between those who commit terrorist acts and Muslims as a whole and for working to counter Islamophobia, in addition to the French government’s position on separating such tragic events from the Palestinian struggle for freedom and peace.
Dr. Ashrawi also thanked France for its encouraging moves towards peace and justice and its positive vote at the United Nations Security Council last month, and she called on the French government to recognize the State of Palestine in the immediate future. Both parties also discussed issues of mutual interest and future cooperation and initiatives.
ENDS