Palestinian President Mahmoud ‚Abbas: The Refugees Have A Right To Return To Their Homes; I Am A Refugee, I Have The Right To Return | MEMRI

During a recent visit to Venezuela to attend the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, Palestinian President Mahmoud ‚Abbas met with representatives of the Palestinian community in the country and with Palestinian students. The meeting, held on September 17, 2016, dealt with the situation in the Middle East. Addressing the issue of the Palestinian refugees, ‚Abbas said that he too is a refugee who has the right of return. „It is true that I live in Ramallah, but Ramallah is not my city,“ he said. „I have not returned [to my native city] and I am entitled to demand my right to return [there].“ The next day, he made a similar statement about the refugees‘ right „to return to their homes“ on his Twitter page. In the September 17 meeting, ‚Abbas also spoke of the need for reconciliation with Hamas. Referring to the recent spate of Palestinian attacks on Israelis, he said that Palestinian children who have lost hope are taking up knives to carry out stabbing attacks.