Embassy of the State of Palestine

Ambassador Izzat Abdulhadi has participated in bilateral talks between the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine H.E. Dr. Rami Al-Hamdallah and the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs the Hon Ms. Julie Bishop, which took place in Ramallah on 5 September. The Prime Minister has briefed Ms. Bishop on the challenges that face the Peace Process in the Middle East; particularly the continuation of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Israeli violations of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

In this context, the Prime Minister briefed Ms. Bishop on the latest attempts of the Palestinian Leadership to resume Peace talks between Israel and Palestine, in accordance with International Law and United Nations resolutions.

In another meeting, between Ms. Bishop and the Palestinian Minister of National Economy Ms. Abeer Odeh, the Palestinian Minister outlined the needs and priorities of the Palestinian economy, and expressed Palestine’s interest in promoting and enhancing trade relations between Palestine and Australia. In this regard, the Palestinian Minister highlighted the vital importance of Area C for the Palestinian people, which is fully controlled by the Israeli authorities and which consists of 62% of the Palestinian Territories, including most of the Palestinian natural and water resources. The Palestinian Authority is barred from accessing or investing in Area C, which has been estimated to constitute a US$3 billion annual loss to the Palestinian economy.

In conclusion, the visit was very successful and contributed substantially to the development of bilateral relations between Palestine and Australia.