Shtayyeh Stresses the Importance of Holding General Elections in Palestine, including Occupied Jerusalem

2019-11-04

Shtayyeh Stresses the Importance of Holding General Elections in Palestine, including Occupied Jerusalem

The Palestinian Cabinet hails preparations for the elections, condemns building new settlement units in the West Bank, and expresses appreciation for Malaysia on opening an embassy in Jordan accredited to Palestine.

In his opening statement, during the weekly Cabinet meeting held in Ramallah today, Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Shtayyeh hailed the progress that has been made for the preparation process of the general elections throughout the State of Palestine, including Jerusalem, and confirmed the will and determination of President Abbas to hold this election.

Separately, Prime Minister Dr. Shtayyeh condemned the new Israeli settlement attack on the West Bank as well as the arrest of Jerusalem Affairs Minister Fadi al-Hadmi. “Israel has announced the establishment of a new set of settlement entities in the West Bank, and we are addressing this matter domestically and internationally,” Dr. Shtayyeh stated.

“We also condemn the arrest of Jerusalem Affairs Minister and the Israeli attacks over the city. Israel is systematically destroying the chances for establishing the independent State of Palestine and the prospects for the two-state solution,” Dr. Shtayyeh added.

Regarding the Palestinian tax money, Prime Minister Dr. Shtayyeh clarified that the crisis is still unresolved and that Israel continues to hold the allowances of our prisoners and martyrs, stressing that the government will remain faithful to all commitments made by President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a different context, Dr. Shtayyeh announced that he would pay a visit to Sweden next week, upon the supervision of President Abbas, pointing out the importance of this visit for the bilateral relations as part of President Abbas’ efforts on the international arena.

The Cabinet, lastly, expressed its appreciation for Malaysia for raising the level of diplomatic representation in Palestine, considered that this step reflects the continued Malaysian political and economic support for the Palestinian people, and deemed it important for consolidating Malaysia's support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.