Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    RAMALLAH, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday renewed calls for making peace in the Middle East by creating a Palestinian statehood and resolving all final-status issues.

    He added that Jerusalem should be the capital of the future state, which will be established in accordance with the Arab and international resolutions after resolving the issues of refugees, borders and water.

    In a speech delivered in Ramallah on the occasion of the International Women's Day, Abbas affirmed that no peace deal will be signed as long as Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails.

    "Their issue is on the top of our priorities," he said. The Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which resumed last December, still mark time due to the Israeli military escalation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and the continuation of settlement activities in West Bank.

    Abbas also vowed to continue supporting the residents of the Gaza Strip, which Hamas took over in June after routing his forces.

    "The absence of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Gaza doesn't mean the PNA will not meet its commitments," he said.

    He stressed that the Gaza Strip should be politically reunited with the West Bank via dialogue, while urging Hamas to end its control on Gaza Strip to pave the way for the dialogue.

    Hamas "was a firm part of the Palestinian people despite the mistakes they made," said Abbas.

    According to Abbas, the PNA's concerns now are the reopening of crossing points into the Gaza Strip "to end the suffering of the people" caused by the Israeli cutoff and the reinforcement of a comprehensive ceasefire with Israel.