A spokesperson for President Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority, has said it is time for the US to recognize the State of Palestine.

Responding to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements rejecting a Palestinian state, spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said America needs to do more than talk.

In comments reported by the state-run WAFA news agency, he said: “The Israeli government is not interested in peace and stability, continuing to refuse to acknowledge the reality that peace will not be achieved without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.”

He pointed out that “the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, and international consensus have granted Palestine the status of an observer state in the United Nations. The flag of Palestine has been raised alongside those of other nations that have recognized it.”

“The Palestinian people will not compromise their legitimate rights, including [their right to] Jerusalem and its holy sites, and their right to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, no matter how much time passes,” Abu Rudeineh affirmed.