RAMALLAH, Tuesday, August 13, 2019 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met today with 37 members of the US Congress in Ramallah, where they discussed a number of issues, including paying the salaries of the families of martyrs and prisoners in Israeli jails, and reasons behind the continued regression in the peace process.

The premier stressed that the US administration, through its measures, has encouraged Israeli settlement activities and has cancelled all final status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, refugees, and UNRWA.

He said that any peace process needs a clear terms of reference and must be in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions, stressing that there must be confidence-building measures between all parties, the most important of which is the cessation of settlement construction and setting up a timetable for ending the Israeli occupation.

“The peace process started in Madrid 28 years ago, and it is inconceivable that no peace has been reached until now,” said Shtayyeh.

“The peace process needs serious intentions; Israel does not have these intentions and the US is biased toward Israel,” added Shtayyeh, stressing that, ‘the best solution for us is the two-state solution along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine, and with a just solution for refugees.”

He said, “We want relations between the United States and Palestine to be independent from Israel,” adding that President Mahmoud Abbas is one of the biggest believers in peace and has made every effort during his four meetings with US President Donald Trump to reach a just and comprehensive peace formula, but the US administration has taken unilateral steps that led to the killing of the negotiating and political track, especially transferring its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“We do not evade peace and will not accept anything less than our minimum legitimate rights,” said Shtayyeh.

T.R.