RAMALLAH, September 24, 2026 (WAFA) - Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stressed on Thursday that the next phase requires moving from supporting the establishment of the State of Palestine to realizing it on the ground. He emphasized that the New York Declaration provides a clear and practical framework for implementing the two-State solution, and that the responsibility now is to translate this framework into tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps.
Mustafa made the remarks in a virtual address during the meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He said that strengthening Palestinian institutions must be linked to a clear political objective: enabling the State of Palestine to fulfill its responsibilities toward its people and progressively assume the functions of sovereignty.
Prime Minister Mustafa outlined five strategic priorities, namely the protection of the Palestinian people, preserving the territorial integrity, and enabling the exercise of Palestinian sovereignty; addressing the humanitarian and early recovery needs in Gaza, and to ensure national re-unification; empowering the Palestinian communities and the national institutions in Gaza to restore livelihoods and to revive local economic activity; building a viable and sustainable Palestinian economy capable of supporting a sovereign State; translating international recognition into effective international standing and integration, and anchoring the implementation of our national reform efforts in State realization.
He stressed the need for halting all Israeli measures that are rapidly undermining the territorial and demographic foundations upon which the two-state solution must be realized.
He noted that international response to the situation in the genocide-stricken Gaza Strip should not be restricted to the provision of emergency assistance. It shall encompass empowering the Palestinian communities and the national institutions in Gaza to restore livelihoods and to revive local economic activity.
As for achieving economic and fiscal sovereignty, Prime Minister Mustafa stated that this requires the full, predictable and timely transfer of Palestinian clearance revenues, without unilateral deductions or withholding. Palestinian banking operations should also be enabled, noting that the government is currently facing a financing gap of around 200 million dollars per month.
“This is no longer only a fiscal challenge -- it is becoming a serious threat to the continuity of essential services, the implementation of reforms, and the stability of Palestinian institutions,” he stressed.
As for international recognition of the State of Palestine, Mustafa noted that it should also translate into practical results, namely international mobilization to protect the State that has been recognized; stronger State-to-State relations, full diplomatic relations, and Palestine's membership in international financial institutions; and full membership in the United Nations.
As for reform efforts, Premier Mustafa pointed out that the government has embarked on a comprehensive reform program and made considerable progress under impossible circumstances, while stressing commitment to carrying these reforms forward.
“The next phase of Reforms should more clearly connect reform with development and State realization. Reforms should ensure that Palestinian institutions acquire the authority, resources, fiscal capacity, economic policy, and physical space required to perform the responsibilities of a sovereign State,” he concluded.
K.F.
