Ramallah – Prime Minister’s Office – Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Mohammed Mustafa, met the Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, and discussed the latest developments in Palestine, enhancing relief and humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Israeli occupation army attacks and colonist-settlers’ terrorism and violence in the West Bank.

During a meeting at his office in Ramallah, Mustafa stressed the urgent need to halt the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, enhance relief and humanitarian efforts, restore basic services in Gaza, and put an end to the Israeli occupation army’s attacks and the Israeli colonist-settlers’ terrorism and violence in the West Bank.

Mustafa further pointed out that settlement expansion and settler terrorism pose significant obstacles to peace and the realization of a two-state solution, emphasizing that the 'day-after’ for Gaza is about reuniting the West Bank and Gaza Strip, consolidating and uniting the Palestinian institutions within an independent Palestinian state.

Prime Minister also called for the necessity of supporting the government's budget, highlighting the difficult economic and financial conditions caused by the Israeli occupation relentless aggression against the Palestinian people, as well as Israel's illegal and persistent deductions from the Palestinian clearance funds and withholding them, which all threat and hinder the government's ability to fulfill its obligations.

He further expressed appreciation for Sweden's unwavering support for Palestine and its consistent and steadfast stance in favor of a two-state solution. Mustafa praised Sweden's brave decision to officially recognize the State of Palestine; urging other countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to promptly follow suit in order to support the two-state solution and preserve it.

For his part, the Swedish Foreign Minister expressed his country's support for efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, condemnation of settlement activity as a violation of international law, call for imposing sanctions on settler terrorism, and support for efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in the region as a whole.