During his opening statement at the weekly Cabinet meeting, held in Ramallah today, Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh announced that a newly infected citizen from Tulkarm was recognized with coronavirus, which raises the number of confirmed cases to 39, 37 cases in Bethlehem and 2 in Tulkarm. In this context, the Cabinet discussed taking strict precautionary measures in fighting the Coronavirus Outbreak in Palestinian governorates.

Additionally, The Prime Minister expressed his deep appreciation to the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and to the Emir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, for the support Qatar and Kuwait provided to the Palestinian people in fighting the corona virus. “We deeply appreciate the generous support and assistance of our Arab brothers and wish safety to all of them,” Dr. Shtayyeh stated.

In a different context, Prime Minister Dr. Shtayyeh referred to some posts on social media that may offend some of our people in Gulf Countries. “This matter doesn't reflect the official Palestinian institution; it neither does reflect the stance of the Presidency nor the point of view of the Government,” Dr. Shtayyeh told. “We urge people who communicate via social media to not offend any of our people in neighboring Arab countries in any way, especially in the Gulf countries. We will remain loyal to these people, as they throughout history were loyal to us,” Dr. Shtayyeh added.

Separately, the Cabinet discussed the submission of the observations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Pre-trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court regarding the ICC prosecutor’s request for a determination on the scope of its jurisdiction in the State of Palestine.

 Moreover, the Foreign Minister referred to the efforts exerted at the European Union, which will consider recognizing the State of Palestine upon a request submitted by the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg.

At the end of the meeting, the Cabinet applauded the accession of the State of Palestine to the Agadir Agreement, which includes six countries, for trade among Arab Mediterranean countries.