RAMALLAH, Monday, May 06, 2019 (WAFA) – Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh urged the United Nations to immediately intervene to halt and ensure cessation of the Israeli onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.

“The international community cannot remain as a silent observer in the face of the Israeli occupation crimes against Palestinian civilians and cannot not take a neutral stance in the face of photographs of the bodies of Palestinian children,” stated Shtayyeh during the weekly cabinet session in Ramallah.

“We do not accept statements that put the perpetrator and the victim on an equal footing,” he stressed.

Shtayyeh pointed out that President Mahmoud Abbas made extensive contacts with a range of regional and international actors overnight in an attempt to bring to a halt the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

He welcomed all efforts aimed to secure a ceasefire agreement, especially the Egyptian-led efforts.

He stressed the importance of strengthening Palestinian national unity to confront the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and noted the government’s keenness to shoulder its responsibility in terms of providing relief aid to the population of Gaza.

Following is the statement on the cabinet meeting by the government spokesman Ahmad Shami:

K.F.