Minister of Foreign Affairs and expatriates Dr. Riad Maliki met today with the leader of the British Labor and opposition party in parliament, Mr. Jeremy Corbin, and foreign minister of the shadow government, Emily Thornberry, on the second day of his official visit to the United Kingdom.
Minister Dr. Maliki and the leaders of the British Labor Party discussed ways to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the recognition by Britain of the State of Palestine.
Afterwards, Maliki met with a group of Arab ambassadors in the British capital to brief them on the current situation in Palestine and Israeli occupation measures, especially with the full support of President Trump's administration.
On Friday morning, His Excellency the Minister delivered a lecture at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, which was attended by many diplomats, politicians and journalists in Britain.
In the lecture "The Future of Palestine ", Dr. Riad Maliki said that the future of Palestine is now painted by the young people in Gaza who are still creating their ability to survive despite the desperate Israeli siege, as the citizens of Jerusalem are now creating, where the occupation is waging a join war against the Palestinian presence Over there. His Excellency added that more than 13 million Palestinians around the world have proven their resilience and that they are "not going to accept defeat" or are satisfied that their voices will be silenced.
The minister described the current situation in Palestine, saying that there is a "double regime of discrimination, oppression and segregation" in the occupied territories, referring to the Israeli occupation, adding that he "reminds us of apartheid"
The current situation was alarming if the international community did not intervene to rein in Israel and end the current Israeli mentality, which consistently underestimated international reactions that were weak and ineffective.
He also warned the US administration to publish a plan that will not contain the signature of Israel's colonial policies, adding that the administration of President Trump – despite the positive initial Palestinian engagement with it – showed only contempt for Palestinian rights and the life Of the Palestinians, international law and international terms of reference ".
He added over 35 meetings with members of the administration, including the meeting of President Mahmoud Abbas with his American counterpart, but the US administration in return closed the Palestinian representation in Washington and recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as the suspension of financial support for UNRWA.
The minister said that despite the Palestinian side's adherence to international law and non-violence, it will not hesitate to take "all the decisions required to seek independence and respond to Israel's president's plan to deepen the occupation and make it permanent", adding that the Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization A session will be held in the coming weeks to take "practical decisions" in this regard.
The Minister saluted the Palestinian prisoners and their families, stressing that Israel's withholding of part of the Palestinian tax revenues would not deter the Palestinians from supporting them, saying that this Israeli action aims to "criminalize the Palestinian struggle" while distracting the international community from its repeated violations.