London, Jul 6 (IANS): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau in the West Bank city of Ramallah, urging the international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop assaults on the Palestinians.

During the meeting on Monday, Abbas said there has to be a political horizon that gives hope to the Palestinian people to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state, Xinhua news agency reported.

Abbas stressed the importance of accelerating the process of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip and maintaining support for the Palestinians.

The President briefed Garneau on the efforts made by all concerned parties to stabilise the ceasefire with Israel in all Palestinian territories and resume the stalled peace process under the international resolutions.

According to local media, Abbas expressed the Palestinian people's appreciation of Canada's support to the Palestinian refugees and the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Saying the state of Palestine is committed to democracy and the jurisdiction of law, Abbas added that as soon as Israel agrees on the holding of the Palestinian elections in East Jerusalem, he will call for holding them in Palestine.

For his part, Garneau said Canada opposes Israel's decision to evict Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem and rejects the expansion of Israeli settlement which violates international law.

He reassured Abbas that Canada is committed to achieving peace based on the principle of the two-state solution and restore stability in the region.