Palestinian president calls on global leaders to visit Gaza: envoy

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has declared his intention and the intention of the Palestinian leadership to head to Gaza, and called for leaders from around the globe to join him and to support this initiative, a Palestinian envoy said on Thursday.
Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, made the remarks at a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.
Mansour called on the Security Council to take part in a visit to the Gaza Strip, to see first-hand “the horrors our people are enduring.”
He also called on Security Council members to support and push to secure the ability of Abbas to reach Gaza and “work with urgency to stop the genocide and stop the crimes being perpetrated against our people.”
“There must be a ceasefire now” in line with the terms of Security Council Resolution 2735, he said, adding, “The time for waiting is over.”
The Palestinian president announced last week his intention to visit Gaza with other members of the Palestinian leadership, and issued a decree on Wednesday evening to form a committee to prepare for the visit. The decree did not specify the date of the visit. ■