Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh presiding over the cabinet meeting in Ramallah, (WAFA Images) 

RAMALLAH, Monday, June 24, 2019 (WAFA) - Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh denounced today the American workshop in the Bahraini capital Manama as mediocre while expecting its results to be futile.

Speaking at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting held in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said Palestine’s boycott of the workshop has deemed it illegitimate.

He said the solution to the Palestinian issue is political and comes through ending the Israeli occupation and enabling the Palestinians to have control over their natural resources that would help them build a strong and independent economy.

“Peace and prosperity of the Palestinian people must be achieved by calling on Israel to stop the theft of our land, piracy of our assets and seizure of our natural resources, and to end its occupation, stop the settlements and lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” said the Prime Minister.

He said Israel is still withholding the Palestinian money, which created a difficult financial situation, reiterating the official Palestinian position not to receive the clearance funds if any amount was deducted from it in reference to the millions of dollars Israel has deducted from the Palestinian tax revenues it collects on their behalf claiming it was money paid to families of Palestinian prisoners and those killed or wounded by Israelis.

"We are looking for solutions and we have some plans, but the ultimate solution is for Israel to return our money in full,” he said, welcoming the emergency meeting of Arab finance ministers held yesterday in Cairo to help the Palestinians deal with their financial crisis. He expressed hope that the Arab financial safety net would be translated into reality.

M.K.