⭕️ _During Palestine Donor Group meeting in Brussels, Mustafa calls for immediate and direct support for six months_
BRUSSLES, November 20, 2025 (WAFA) - Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa called today on the Palestine Donor Group (PDG) and Palestine’s international partners to exert pressure to ensure the release of the withheld Palestinian clearance revenues, and to provide immediate, direct budget support for a period of six months, as outlined in the emergency mechanism announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France, Norway, and Spain. This includes guarantee mechanisms for issuing bonds to Palestinian banks to provide liquidity and better manage public debt.
The Prime Minister also stressed the need for additional donors to participate in financing efforts, as well as the importance of safeguarding the Palestinian financial system by maintaining correspondent banking lines with Israel, increasing the annual ceiling for the return of shekel funds, supporting the reconstruction effort led by the Palestinian National Authority, and providing early pledges to the trust fund—starting with early recovery needs. These steps, he noted, are vital to ensuring the continued provision of services, enabling serious and effective reconstruction in Gaza, and protecting the two-State solution.
This came during his remarks at the meeting of the Palestine Donor Group (PDG) and international partners meeting, held at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, with the participation of more than 60 countries and international institutions, and in the presence of Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Dr. Estephan Salameh, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political and Legal Affairs Omar Awadallah, Palestine’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union Amal Jadou Shakaa.
Prime Minister Mustafa expressed his gratitude to the European Union for hosting this meeting and for its continued support to the Palestinian people and institutions, voicing his deep appreciation to all partners, including the Donor Coordination Group, which has sustained its support for Palestine during this extremely difficult period.
The Prime Minister said: “This initiative by the Donor Group for Palestine is part of a broader international effort that has taken shape over the past year—beginning with the High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and Implementation of the Two-State Solution in New York, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—where an international coalition for Palestine’s financial sustainability was established to prevent financial collapse and safeguard institutional continuity.”
He added: “The Emergency Coalition for Palestine’s Financial Sustainability builds on this collective momentum. The new plan is grounded in more than three decades of European Union support, rallying partners around the core challenges before us today: preserving the financial stability of the Palestinian National Authority, strengthening the reform agenda, supporting economic revitalization in the West Bank, and ensuring a cohesive and coordinated approach to Gaza’s reconstruction under a single, unified Palestinian governance framework.”
The Prime Minister underscored that today’s discussion is not solely about budget support or reconstruction, but about preserving the very foundations of peace—namely the Palestinian National Authority and the institutions of the Palestinian state.
Mustafa continued: “The reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under a single legitimate government, one legal system, and one unified governance is not a slogan—it is the practical pathway to peace and stability. Without it, recovery will remain fragmented, and hope will remain hostage to division. Reunification is inseparable from the two-State solution, which remains the only path to stability, dignity, and security for all peoples of this region.”
He stated: “The State of Palestine welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which represents an important step toward achieving a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access. What matters now is the immediate implementation of this resolution in a manner that protects our people, prevents displacement, ensures full withdrawal, and restores the Palestinian National Authority to Gaza—within the framework of reunifying Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem under one legitimate government. This will allow us to fully assume our responsibilities and work with all partners in a manner that supports Palestinian sovereignty and advances a genuine political pathway.”
The Prime Minister reviewed progress under the National Program for Development and Reform, designed in partnership with the European Union, the World Bank, and key donors. He noted that the Social Protection Law has entered into force under a unified, transparent, data-driven system, with the national registry activated and external independent audits.
He added: “The education modernization initiative has been launched and is being implemented, aligned with UNESCO standards. A new interactive digital education system has been introduced, and teachers are undergoing training as digital tools are deployed.”
On governance, Mustafa said: “We have merged and dissolved several institutions, strengthened anti-corruption measures, renewed security leadership, and introduced merit-based, competitive senior appointments.”
On the financial front, he noted that the value-added tax law and accompanying tax reforms are in the implementation phase, public financial management is being digitized, net-lending collections have increased significantly, and longstanding local authority debts are being settled.
Mustafa added: “We are advancing our political reforms. The drafting of the interim constitution guiding the transition from authority to statehood has reached an advanced stage. The Council of Ministers has approved a new Local Council Elections Law, and the Central Elections Commission will administer and oversee local elections scheduled for April 2026.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Palestinian National Authority’s financial crisis is a direct result of Israel’s withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues—a politically motivated decision, openly declared by senior Israeli officials, aimed at destabilizing the PNA and pushing it toward collapse.
Mustafa expressed appreciation for the budget support provided by partners—including the recent support from the European Union, its member states, other European countries, and Arab states, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the World Bank. However, he stressed that the financial crisis remains deep and requires a sustainable solution, as outlined under the Emergency Coalition for Financial Sustainability.
He added: "Alongside the financial crisis, two additional urgent issues pose immediate risks to the stability of the Palestinian banking system. First, correspondent banking links with Israeli banks face public threats of non-renewal. Second, the accumulation of excess shekel liquidity in our banking system has created severe liquidity pressures and real operational risks for the entire financial sector.”
Mustafa reaffirmed that the Palestinian National Authority is ready and prepared to lead Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction. The Arab plan—adopted and internationally endorsed—provides the political framework, and the comprehensive damage and needs assessment was completed last month with support from the World Bank.
He highlighted that the Government’s recently completed Recovery and Reconstruction Program for Gaza translates the Arab plan and the assessment into 56 programs across social services, housing, infrastructure, economy, and governance, with an estimated budget of $67 billion over five years.
Mustafa stated: “As a first phase, the Government has prepared a six-month Early Recovery Plan to be launched immediately once a ceasefire is soldified, focusing on essential services, debris removal, temporary housing, job creation, and small projects—allowing Gaza to move rapidly from relief to recovery.”
He added: “We have already begun early relief efforts through the Government Operations Room, working with our institutions on the ground and international partners, including the Quartet and UN agencies, to address urgent needs and restore essential services.”
He continued: “Institutionally, the pathway is clear: an active emergency operations room, a Gaza Reconstruction Unit currently based within the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, and a trust fund managed by the World Bank—with European and UN mechanisms—to ensure transparency and donor oversight.”
The Prime Minister affirmed that the Palestinian Government has never left from Gaza, as the relevant ministries have continued to provide healthcare, education, social protection, and civil registry services under one legal framework and unified payroll. The Government Operations Room currently coordinates the work of more than fifty institutions, manages shelters, distributes aid, and clears debris.
On developments in the West Bank and colonial settler violence, Mustafa said: “Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 1,070 Palestinians—including 217 children—during military operations in cities, towns, and refugee camps, displacing tens of thousands of our people. Settler violence has escalated to unprecedented levels, with more than 5,000 attacks this year alone, including killings, arson attacks on homes, uprooting thousands of olive trees, and terrorizing civilians—amid near-total impunity, and in some cases with explicit encouragement from extremist ministers.”
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