Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    GAZA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in Bethlehem on Wednesday that east Jerusalem is an occupied Palestinian territory and "it belongs to us, and we will get it back one day."

    Abbas' statements were made in a speech he addressed at the opening ceremony of the Palestinian Investment Conference held in the West bank city of Bethlehem.

    Around 1000 local, Arab and international investors, businessmen and diplomats attended the three-day conference that aims at encouraging investments in the Palestinian territories.

    Abbas began his speech as saying "there is encouraging news coming from Cairo on the truce talks, I hope the Israeli-Syrian peace talks would succeed and I congratulate the reconciliation in Lebanon."

    Abbas called on the investors to come and invest in the Palestinian territories and help establishing the independent Palestinian state, reiterating that "both security and economy are the key for peace."

    Abbas addressed the businessmen and investors came from the Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by Hamas movement since last June, saying "I hope that Hamas would get back to its mind and end Gaza coup and accept early elections."

    He said "The beloved Gaza will get back to the cuddle of the Palestinian legitimacy."

    He added "a breakthrough will be very soon... we exerted and we still exert efforts to bring full calm to the Gaza Strip and to lift the blockade and end its populations' suffering."

    The east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and Golan Heights, were occupied by Israel after the Six Day War in 1967. The Palestinians want Arab east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state while Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital.