GAZA, December 7, 2017 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah Thursday slammed US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as a reversal of all efforts to revive the long-stalled peace process.
Hamdallah and his ministers arrived to the besieged Gaza Strip as he pledged support for efforts towards national reconciliation and reiterated the PA‘s full readiness to immediately assume control of the besieged Gaza Strip.
He slammed Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as a “provocative” step that “reverses all efforts to revive the peace process, fuels the conflict and even ends the US role as a peace broker.”
Hamdallah stressed the necessity of national reconciliation and described it as “an irreversible strategic choice” and “leverage” for ensuring that one law and one regime prevails in Gaza and supporting the steadfastness of Palestinians, particularly in Gaza and Jerusalem.
He called on international donors to assume their responsibilities in terms of obliging Israel to lift the Gaza blockade, open border crossings and remove restrictions on Palestine‘s economic development.
He expressed his government’s determination to address the most significant challenge of ending the Israeli occupation and establishing the viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Hamdallah affirmed his government’s commitment to devise practical and just solutions for all outstanding issues.
He noted that the government has instructed its institutions to reinstate all public employees who stopped working following Hamas’ takeover of Gaza in June 2007 to their posts in the best government’s interest and based on the 2011 and 2017 Cairo-based reconciliation agreements.
As for solving the issues of employees appointed after June 2007, Hamdallah said that finding a solution would be the task of the administrative legal committee.
He also underscored the importance that the government assumes full responsibility for tax collection, internal security and public order as a prerequisite roadmap for ending the intra-Palestinian division and taking concrete steps to improve the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.
K.F/M.H
