Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said that Israel has to return Palestinian lands that were occupied in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

"The lands are the dearest thing we possess and Israel has to give them back to us as well as our legitimate rights," Abbas was quoted by the al Ayyam daily as saying.

Abbas said the Palestinian people should protect them from settlement activities, while strongly condemning Israel's settlement activities in the Palestinian lands.

Asked about the Palestinian National Authority's efforts in the reform process, he said, "The reform process is moving in all directions, but the results need time to show."