Abbas’ advisor: “Death is less significant than abandoning the homeland” “I'm prepared to return to Ashkelon, but not leave Palestine”
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "If [US President] Trump wants to take the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, there is an easier way. He should return them to the cities and villages from which they were expelled in 1948. I personally am from a family that came from a small village named Al-Jura or Ashkelon (i.e., Israeli city). I'm prepared to return to Ashkelon, I and all my family. But leave Palestine? There's no chance! Death is less significant for the Palestinian rather than leaving his land and abandoning his homeland."
[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, Feb. 5, 2025]
Al-Habbash's statement is a reaction to a plan for Gaza put forth by US President Donald Trump during the 2023 Gaza war: