Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is calling for massive protests to support the Palestinian campaign for statehood recognition at the United Nations. The PA is seeking a vote in September that would recognize an independent Palestinian state in the Occupied Territories. Israel and the United States have launched a fierce campaign to thwart the effort, and U.S. lawmakers have threatened the cutoff of aid to Palestinians if the bid goes ahead. Addressing a Palestinian Liberation Organization meeting, Abbas said wide-scale popular resistance is needed to support the statehood campaign.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: “Every day, we face what induces us to carry out popular resistance on a wide scale, and not in one place and not by one group. If we really want this, let’s do it. I insist on popular resistance, and I insist that it be unarmed popular resistance.”