LUXEMBOURG, April 15, 2025 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stated on Monday that what we are witnessing is not just a war, but an attempt to erase a people and a cause, affirming that there can be no lasting peace without accountability and without Israel being held responsible for its crimes.
He made his remarks during a joint press conference with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Dubravka Šuica, following the conclusion of the first EU-Palestine High-Level Political Dialogue in Luxembourg. The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of all 27 EU member States.
"Europe has long championed the two-State solution, and today, that must translate into concrete steps to end the prolonged Israeli occupation. We thank the EU member States that have recognized the State of Palestine and call on others to follow suit. Two states cannot exist if one perpetuates its occupation against the other," said the Prime Minister.
"Israel’s continuous attempts to weaken the Palestinian Authority—financially, politically, or otherwise—pose not only a threat to us, but to regional stability as a whole. Likewise, UNRWA remains a lifeline for the Palestinian people and to the stability in the region," he added.
Highlighting the dire situation in Gaza and the West Bank, the Prime Minister said that “in Gaza, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians. Entire neighborhoods lie in ruins. In the West Bank, mass displacement and land confiscation are accelerating. What we are witnessing is not just a war—it is an attempt to erase a people and a cause.”
“We did not come here to place blame,” Mustafa emphasized, “but to demand clarity and affirm a fundamental truth: there can be no lasting peace without accountability. Israel must be held responsible for crimes committed in Gaza and for its ongoing violations of international law in both Gaza and the West Bank. Silence or delay only inspires impunity.”
“We came here today not just to speak of tragedy, but to act for a way forward. That begins with an immediate ceasefire — not as a political demand, but as a matter of life and death. Lives must be saved, and aid must be allowed to flow,” the Prime Minister underscored.
Mustafa also highlighted the urgent need to rebuild Gaza, stressing that the Arab League reconstruction plan — backed by the EU and OIC — offers a clear path forward for the reconstruction of Gaza without uprooting its people.
He emphasized that the first ever High-Level Dialogue is more than just a meeting—it’s a moment of decision, pointing out that it is not only a reaffirmation of shared commitment to peace and reform, but to build a strategic partnership with the EU within the framework of the New Pact for the Mediterranean, and to advance the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Programme.
Prime Minister Mustafa also underscored the importance of concluding a full Association Agreement with the European Union, similar to those established with other partners.
He warned that Israel is actively attempting to alter the demographic makeup of Palestine through forced displacement and land annexation. Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza and forcibly displaced 50,000 others in the West Bank since February 2025. In Gaza and many refugee camps across the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces have destroyed the basic necessities of life.
In addition, Mustafa reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to institutional, administrative, and fiscal reform, noting that no less than 50 reform measures have already been implemented during the Government’s first year in office.
He called on European countries to pressure Israel to release illegally withheld Palestinian tax revenues in order to enable the Palestinian Government to meet its obligations.
The Prime Minister also stressed that a ceasefire must be implemented in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2735, to save lives, allow the unimpeded and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid, begin reconstruction efforts, and enable the Palestinian Authority to fully assume its responsibilities in Gaza following a transitional period.
He noted that the upcoming reconstruction conference in Cairo is both feasible and necessary to mobilize support for rebuilding Gaza, and that the high-level international conference in June, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, offers a unique opportunity to take urgent collective and individual action to salvage the two-State solution.
Mustafa expressed heartfelt gratitude to the European Union and all its member States for their continued humanitarian, financial, and political support.
The Prime Minister concluded by calling on the European Union to exert every possible effort to shift the course of the conflict—from bloodshed to ceasefire, from destruction to reconstruction, from occupation to liberation, and from war to peace.
M.N
