RAMALLAH: Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh today briefed ambassadors, representatives and consuls of European countries accredited to the State of Palestine on the occupation’s ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
During a meeting in Ramallah, in the presence of Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki, Shtayyeh renewed the demand to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, which so far has led to the killing of more than 26,000 civilians, the injury of around 65,000 others, and the partial and complete destruction of 280,000 homes and facilities. In addition, 8,000 were reported missing.
He said that since the beginning of 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 600 people and caused injuries to thousands of others in the West Bank. Thousands were also detained in the West Bank, he added.
In light of the deteriorating catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister emphasized the necessity of putt
ing pressure on Israel to open all crossings with the Gaza Strip, increase relief and medical aid delivery and restore electricity and water to the Strip, in line with the ICJ’s ruling.
He also renewed his rejection of all attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people, whether in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, stressing that the seizure of land in the Strip to establish buffer zones is unacceptable.
He further rejected any attempts for the seizure of lands in the West Bank for the benefit of Israeli colonial expansion and the construction of new colonies.
In addition to the Israeli war of aggression on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian cities, towns, villages and camps are subjected to daily incursions, destruction of infrastructure, detentions and killings, said Shtayyeh. He condemned the crime carried out by the occupation forces this morning at Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, which resulted in the killing of three young Palestinian men.
‘In addition to the aggression waged on human lives and land and th
e distortion of the Palestinian narrative, Israel is waging a war on money and continues to deduct illegally and unjustly from the PA tax funds, including deducting the money allocated for Gaza.
‘Nevertheless, we will continue our duty toward our people in the Gaza Strip,’ he affirmed.
Regarding announcements to temporarily cease funding for the UN relief agency, UNRWA, Shtayyeh urged countries that suspended their funding to retract this dangerous decision which puts the lives of those in need of assistance in the Gaza Strip at risk and affects the provision of the agency’s services in refugee camps in Palestine and the diaspora.
Regarding the day after the end of the Israeli aggression, Shtayyeh said: ‘We have never left the Gaza Strip since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority,’ calling for a political path and solution that includes all the Palestinian territory based on international legitimacy in order to end the occupation, embody the establishment of the Palestinian state on the 1967 bord
ers, with Jerusalem as its capital and achieve full membership in the United Nations.
For his part, minister al-Malki briefed the European diplomats on the Palestinian diplomatic efforts to gain recognition of the State of Palestine and achieve full membership in the United Nations.
He also briefed them on the legal aspect and foreseeable developments on Palestine’s request for an Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the continued Israeli occupation of Palestine as well as on South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel accusing it of crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency