President Mahmoud Abbas received on Thursday, October 9, Hadash MK Ayman Odeh and a Jewish-Arab delegation from Israeli peace movements at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah. The activists represented several organizations including Partnership for Peace, Hadash, Peace Now, Women Wage Peace, the Parents Circle – Families Forum, Combatants for Peace, Women Democratic Movement in Israel, Zazim, Rabbis for Human Rights and Standing Together.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Abbas welcomed the announcement of the agreement to cease the war on the Gaza Strip, withdraw of Israeli occupation forces, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and facilitate a prisoner exchange.
President Mahmoud Abbas, Att. Noa Levy, a leading Communist Party of Israel member and MK Ayman Odeh among Israeli peace activists during the meeting held in Ramallah, Thursday, October 9, 2025 (Photo: Zo Haderekh)
He expressed hope that all parties would commit to fully implementing the first phase and continue negotiations toward achieving lasting and just peace and security, leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions. During the meeting, President Abbas addressed the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where more than 67,000 civilians have been killed and approximately 170,000 others injured, most of them children and women. He also addressed the unilateral Israeli measures that violate international law, most notably settlement activity and settler terrorism.
He also warned against the Israeli government’s hate speech toward the Palestinian people and its ongoing incitement to undermine the institutions of the Palestinian National Authority by withholding Palestinian tax revenues and stifling the Palestinian Abbas emphasized that true peace, security, and stability cannot be achieved by denying the existence of others or depriving them of their national right, stressing “Our goal is freedom, dignity, security, justice, and the right to a normal and safe life.
He also addressed the growing wave of international recognition of the State of Palestine, emphasizing that these recognitions are not against Israel, but rather a step toward justice, true peace, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which will achieve lasting security and stability for both Palestinians and Israelis.
He stressed that recognizing Palestine embodies the principle of equality among peoples, “Just as Israelis have the right to a state, so do Palestinians have the right to a state.” He emphasized that Israeli recognition of the Palestinian state would pave the way to an end to the conflict and a comprehensive peace.
At the end of the meeting, President Abbas renewed his welcome to the visiting delegation and emphasized the importance of meetings in building bridges of trust between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. He expressed hope that this meeting would mark the beginning of a new path, not only in politics, but also in the shared human conscience between the two sides. President Abbas called on the delegation members to form a popular Israeli front for a just peace that would make the voice of reason heard within Israeli society.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=33028
