Abbas to arrive on February 1

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives in Bangladesh February 1 for a three-day official visit aiming to further strengthen bilateral relations with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has been consistently supporting the Palestinian people for their struggle for an independent and viable state with the holy city of East Jerusalem as its capital.

Dhaka remains vocal in the UN, OIC, NAM and other regional and international bodies over Palestinian issues.  Dhaka also condemns the Israeli occupation and backs the demand for Palestine's “full membership” of the UN.

This will be the first official visit of the Palestine president to Bangladesh. Earlier, he made a brief stopover in Dhaka in February last year on his way to Japan from Jordan.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr Riad NA Malki visited Dhaka in December last year to attend an international meeting on migration during which he called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

During his three-day visit, the Palestinian President will meet President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and discuss strengthening of bilateral ties and seek continuing support from Bangladesh on Palestinian causes.

Foreign ministry officials said Dhaka will reiterate its reaffirmation of Bangladesh's unequivocal support for the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence during the visit.

"Bangladesh always supports the cause of Palestine and it will continue to do so," said a senior official.

The UN Security Council on December 23 last year passed a resolution demanding an end to the construction of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories after the US abstained from voting.

The resolution was introduced to the UNSC by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal on Friday, a day after Egypt withdrew reportedly under pressure from Israel and US President-elect Donald Trump.

In December, Trump and Israeli authorities also called on the US to veto the resolution. The document was eventually adopted with 14 of 15 UNSC members voting in favor. The US was the only nation to abstain from voting.