RAMALLAH, September 18, 2026 (WAFA) – Vice President of the State of Palestine Hussein Al-Sheikh discussed during a phone call today with European Union Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, local, regional, and international developments, as well as ways to strengthen cooperation and European support for the Palestinian people.

Al-Sheikh expressed appreciation for the continued European support for the Palestinian people and the assistance provided by the European Union to the Gaza Strip, calling for funding to be channeled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and official Palestinian institutions.

During the call, Al-Sheikh addressed the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and the efforts required to support early recovery, as well as the importance of continuing to support reforms and strengthening the institutions of the State of Palestine.

The two sides also discussed the escalation of colonists’ terrorism in the West Bank, the continued colonial expansion and land seizures, and the threat this poses to the security and stability of the Palestinian people and to the prospects for achieving peace and the two-state solution.

Al-Sheikh also reviewed the suffocating financial and economic crisis facing the Palestinian National Authority as a result of the Israeli government’s continued withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues, and the direct repercussions this has on the government’s ability to meet its obligations and provide basic services to the Palestinian people.

The two sides also discussed preparations for holding elections and the importance of creating the necessary conditions for a fair, transparent, and inclusive electoral process. Al-Sheikh praised the European effort to provide experts and called on the European Union to pressure the Israeli government to facilitate the work of the Central Elections Commission in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

T.R.