Abbas expresses gratitude for Turkey’s support to Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed his gratitude for Turkey’s support in obtaining an upgraded U.N. status for his country, urging Israel to fulfill its duty toward peace

, Hurriyet Daily News reports. 

“We want to give peace a chance today. We are calling on Israel to fulfill its duty. We are calling on Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank, to release Palestinian prisoners and to return to the negotiations that were suspended in 2008,” Abbas said in his address to Turkish Parliament on December 10. 

Abbas hailed Turkey’s support to Palestine during the U.N. vote, noting how Turkey was the country to which he paid his first official visit after obtaining an upgraded U.N. status for his country.