RAMALLAH, October 24, 2016 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is slated to leave to Germany later Monday to participate in the joint Palestinian-German ministerial steering committee meeting, according to a government press statement.

Hamdallah will head a 6-person ministerial and official delegation to the fourth meeting of the joint Palestinian-German steering committee scheduled to start in Berlin on Wednesday.

The prime minister welcomed development in bilateral relations between Palestine and Germany since the formation of the joint committee, according to a statement issued at the conclusion of the weekly cabinet meeting held in Ramallah on Monday.

“We appreciate the German government’s initiative to form the steering committee,” Hamdallah said in the statement. “This encouraged a number of European countries to follow suit, which will contribute to our efforts to build strategic Palestinian-European partnerships,” he said.

He thanked Germany for its continuous support to the Palestinian people in all sectors and its commitment to continue this support that will improve the performance of the Palestinian institutions in preparation for establishing the independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.

Hamdallah said he will urge donor countries to meet their financial commitment to the Palestinian Authority to help it deal with its chronic financial crisis and help rebuild the Gaza Strip devastated by Israel’s 2014 war.

M.A.