RAMALLAH, Tuesday, July 30, 2019 (WAFA) - Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh described, during the annual conference of Socialist International (SI) hosted this year by the State of Palestine, the administration of US President Donald Trump as "stupid" stressing that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not a partner in peace.
The premier described Trump‘s administration as "stupid” for thinking that it could push the Palestinian people to surrender, stressing that the Palestinian people proved that they will not be defeated nor surrender, and will not accept less than the minimum of freedom, independence, and the establishment of a sovereign state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
He accused the Trump administration of extorting the Palestinian people through its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transferring its embassy there, shutting down the PLO office in Washington, and drying up the Palestinian Authority‘s financial resources.
Shtayyeh said that the Trump administration said it would solve the Palestinian issue and complete the century deal, which we welcomed at first and showed all good intentions toward, but were surprised by the unprecedented steps in its hostility and realized that all this was part of America‘s approach to market the deal of the century. “What is happening is dangerous for the future of Palestine, the region, and the world."
Shtayyeh said Netanyahu and the right-wing governments he has led have never been a political partner; Israel steals our land and money and kills our sons, he said, adding that, “We want an Israeli partner in peace based on a two-state solution.”
He said that Israel has ed options left under Netanyahu’s rule; either the two-state solution or the demographic death, either the two-state solution or no Jewish democratic state, either the two-state solution or no peace.
He called on the SI to stop the Israeli theft of Palestinian territories, oblige Israel to pay for its human rights violations, pressure the governments of countries to ask settlers who carry their nationalities to leave the Palestinian territories, and to support President Abbas‘ initiative for the convening of an international peace conference in the Middle East based on international legitimacy.
He said that in light of Israel‘s non-compliance with any of the bilateral agreements signed with the PLO, the Palestinian leadership has decided to suspend these agreements because Israel does not respect any of them and violates them systematically, stating that a committee was formed today to study mechanisms for implementing this decision.
“We are peace seekers who are committed to all agreements, but it is not reasonable to remain a committed party, while the other party is not committed in any way," said Shtayyeh.
For his part, Luis Ayala, the Secretary General of the Socialist International, said the current decisions of the US administration on Middle East issue, break away from international consensus and international legitimacy.
He said that the issue of Palestine is a global issue and not just a regional issue, adding that, “our mission is to move forward in promoting people‘s freedom and rights."
T.R.
