Mahmoud Abbas Set To Visit "Sister Country" Iran
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Admin
• 26 August, 2015
Jerusalem, 26 August, 2015 (TPS) -- PA leader, Abu Mazen tells Polish journalists in Ramallah that “I will visit Iran”. Senior Iranian official rejects statements as “Lies”
Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmood Abbas stated on Monday, 24th August his intention to visit Tehran. Despite Iran’s proclaimed solidarity with the Palestinian cause, similar claims have been denied in the past by Hossein Sheikh, an Iranian official, as “lies.”
Abbas’s announcement seems to be part of a larger sequence of international leaders renewing ties with Iran after a nuclear deal was struck last month.
While the date has not yet been decided upon, and despite his acknowledgment that “relations with [Iran] were not good” Abbas declared that “I will visit Iran” in an effort to strengthen diplomatic, economic and educational relations between the PA and the Islamic Republic.
In a dovish appeal, Abbas further stressed the importance of “peace and stability” and demilitarizing the Middle East “from nuclear weapons.”
Currently, while Hamas and the PA remain bound by their unity government pact, the PA has consistently undertaken efforts to distance itself from the official position of the Iranian-funded Hamas organization officially listed as a terrorist organization by the US State Department.
However, if the PA leader’s statements come to fruition, relations between the PA and Israel, which has most vociferously condemned Iran’s public threats, could be further damaged.
Indeed, on Friday Prime Minister Netanyahu posted on his social media page, albeit not in reference to Mazen’s alleged visit, that “the countries that are rushing to embrace Iran should know that it was an Iranian commander who directed and supported the cell that fired at Israel.”
While the statement came in response to an attack by Syrian forces on the IDF, it is unlikely that Abu Mazen’s visit will be received warmly by Jerusalem.
Abbas’s most recent visit to Tehran was in 2012. Britain, Italy and France have all sought to normalize relations in Tehran with the recent opening of embassies.
