UN chief to visit Palestinian territories in Oct.: media -Xinhua

UN chief to visit Palestinian territories in Oct.: media

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2023-09-21 22:12:15

RAMALLAH, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit the Palestinian territories in October, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Thursday.

Guterres informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of his upcoming visit during a meeting on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

It will be Guterres' first visit to Palestine since 2017 when he traveled to both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

During their meeting, Abbas discussed with Guterres "the necessity of binding Israel to all agreements signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization and stopping its unilateral measures," according to WAFA.

For his part, Guterres expressed hope that the Palestinians will obtain their rights and the State of Palestine will become a full member of the United Nations, the report added.

In 2012, the UNGA granted Palestine non-member observer state status. Palestinians aspire to full UN membership, which would give international recognition to their future state based on the 1967 borders.

They seek to establish an independent state alongside Israel in all the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem as its capital.