RAMALLAH, Monday, November 05, 2018 (WAFA) - PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi Monday held separate meetings with Jordanian Head of Mission Mohammad Abu-Wandi, and Egyptian Consul General Moustafa El Shahat, where they discussed the latest political developments and ways to promote mutual relations.

Ashrawi received the incoming Abu-Wandi at the PLO Headquarters in Ramallah and welcomed him to Palestine, extending her gratitude to the Jordanian government for its constant support for Palestinian self-determination and rights.

In that context, both parties stressed a mutual understanding of the requirements for peace, continued cooperation and coordination and distinctive relations between Palestine and Jordan. They also rejected Israeli attempts to implement unilateral policies at the expense of both Palestine and Jordan.

Ambassador Abu-Wandi affirmed the Jordanian government‘s firm commitment to its mandate on Jerusalem‘s holy sites, the achievement of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

In a separate meeting, Ashrawi received Egyptian Consul General Moustafa El Shahat, and thanked the Egyptian government for its unwavering support of a just peace and the constructive role it plays in facilitating Palestinian reconciliation.

She also acknowledged the historical ties between Palestine and Egypt and the special relationship that binds both the Palestinian and Egyptian people. 

Both parties reviewed the latest updates concerning political domestic realities, as well as the resolutions of the PLO Central Council meeting, including future moves and means of implementation and the grave situation in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Ashrawi stressed, "Gaza will always remain an inseparable part of Palestine."

The status of genuine reconciliation and national unity efforts in Palestine were also assessed by Ashrawi and her guest, and in that view, Ashrawi said, "Ceasefires cannot precede reconciliation.  For any viable solution to succeed, it cannot be purely economic or humanitarian; it is essentially a political solution that should be based on legality, morality and rights."

Both meetings focused on the latest political, regional and Arab developments and the serious escalation in Israel‘s egregious violations throughout the occupied Palestinian territory.

Ashrawi also discussed the US administration‘s disastrous and unilateral moves which have emboldened Israel to persistently violate international law and destroy the chances for a just peace and stability: "The United States‘ blanket support of Israel and its complicit role in the belligerent military occupation have generated conditions for great volatility and instability throughout the region and beyond."

T.R./M.K.