Khaberni - The Arab American University awarded the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas an honorary doctorate in humanities, in appreciation of his intellectual and research contributions, his significant national career, and his sincere efforts in serving the Palestinian people and their national cause.
The Arab American University held a ceremony at its campus in Ramallah, today Thursday, to award President Abbas the honorary doctorate in humanities. The event was attended by: Deputy President Hussein Al-Sheikh, Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, members of the Executive Committee of the PLO, members of the Central Committee of Fatah, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Majdi Al-Khaldi, Minister of Education and Higher Education Amjad Barham, and a number of ministers and ambassadors accredited to the State of Palestine, as well as members from the University's Boards of Trustees and Administration.
In his speech during the ceremony, Abbas thanked the Arab American University for its decision to award him the honorary doctorate in humanities, considering it a medal that we place on the chest of our enduring and steadfast Palestinian people. This nation has made Palestine a beacon of science, knowledge, and creativity, another face of the free democratic state of Palestine.
He expressed that education is our best weapon, and a secret to our endurance, a source for our national awareness, and the path for our Palestinian youth to achieve their lofty and noble goals. Despite the dire circumstances our people live in, Palestine is witnessing a tangible scientific revival.
He expressed confidence that Palestinian universities will keep pace with the advancement of science and knowledge and that their role will not only be to transfer this knowledge but to develop it through allocating budgets for scientific and academic research and establishing partnerships with the private sector and the state to contribute to the development of knowledge and mastering technology, which has become an indicator of the progress of nations and states.
He added: With science, we endure, with science, we rise, and with science, we build the nation. Despite the catastrophe, we continued the journey with determination and stability, built our society and entity on solid scientific foundations, and now the State of Palestine stands complete, although still under occupation.
He demanded that Palestinian universities and research centers to promptly commence completing the writing of Palestine’s history and its people, which has been distorted and falsified by colonial and Zionist circles, and to circulate this history.
He said: It's time for the Palestinian people to write their complete history themselves, deliver their true and authentic narrative, and dispel once and for all, those false and deceptive narratives that deliberately distort the truth, image, and history of the Palestinian people.
In political matters, President Abbas affirmed that we will continue to work hard with President Trump and other relevant partners, expressing hope that the year 2026 will see progress in resolving the Palestinian issue, noting that there are positive signals from the American administration.
He said that the State of Palestine has announced its support for forming the Palestinian committee to manage Gaza Strip during this transitional phase, and expressed appreciation for the efforts of President Trump and the mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and moving to the second phase of President Trump’s plan.
He reiterated the importance of linking the institutions of the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank and Gaza, and not to establish administrative, legal, and security systems that entrench duplication and division.
He outlined his political vision based on adhering to our people’s right to self-determination, the right of return, and a fully sovereign independent state with its capital in East Jerusalem, a state that lives in security and peace with its neighbors, a democratic state where equal citizenship for all is realized, and which believes in political pluralism, freedom of expression, forming parties, adhering to the rule of law, good governance, human rights, integrity, and equality— a state with one system, one law, and one legitimate weapon.
He confirmed that direct legislative and presidential elections are the foundation of democratic governance and the sole means for the peaceful transfer of power, under the rule of law, transparency, and accountability, and empowering women and the youth, noting that work is ongoing to draft a temporary constitution and a law for parties in preparation for upcoming elections.
He emphasized that the State of Palestine adheres to international law, international humanitarian law, international legitimacy, and agreements and treaties signed with other countries and international organizations and institutions.
He affirmed that non-violent popular resistance, in addition to political, diplomatic, and legal work, is our strategic choice to end the occupation that sits upon our country's land.
He stated: Our people do not know despair, and despite all the challenges faced, it continues to preserve its existence on the land of its state that will be liberated by its strong will, as it preserves its history, identity, and national memory wherever it exists.
He added: Despite the disaster that befell our people due to the war of extermination and starvation in the Gaza Strip, we renew our resolve to rebuild and construct, as we will also rebuild what the occupation has destroyed in camps, villages, and cities of the West Bank. "Wafa"
