Embassy of the State of Palestine

During its weekly meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the Cabinet renewed its call on the international community to actively intervene and compel occupation authorities to immediately release prisoners on hunger strike, especially Samer Al-Issawi and Ayman Sharawneh, whose health conditions have deteriorated, and held occupation authorities fully responsible for their lives. Furthermore, the Cabinet considered that the death of the martyr Arafat Jaradat in Israeli jails must compel the international community and human rights organizations to carry out their responsibilities regarding the issue of prisoners in Israeli jails and to intervene immediately to compel Israel to abide by international law and promptly release the prisoners, especially the ill, veteran prisoners, children and the fifteen members of the Legislative Council, as well as end the illegal practice of administrative detention. In this context, the Cabinet welcomed the position voiced by the Kingdom of Denmark, calling on Israel to abide by the provisions of international law concerning the prisoners' issue, and stressed the need for the international community to adopt this position and take practical and effective measure to ensure Israeli compliance.

In a related context, the Cabinet condemned the escalation of racist attacks, including the latest attack on Ms. Hanaa Muteir by a group of settlers and the attack on another citizen in Jerusalem. The Cabinet also denounced the use of the child Mustafa Wahdan (9 years) as a human shield by occupation forces during clashes near Ramallah, affirmingthat these actions are immoral and contravene international conventions andlaws as well as clearly reflect the extent to which the occupation system and its army violates our people's rights and lives. The Cabinet also considered that such violations require an effective international intervention to ensure the provision of needed protection for our people, particularly children and women.

Furthermore, the Cabinet condemned the repeated attacks and provocative steps by the occupation army and Israeli politicians towards Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, and held the Israeli government responsible for the growing tension and provocation of religious sentiments because of these attacks against Islamic holy sites. Furthermore, the Cabinet considered that these attacks and provocations arepart of a systematic campaign targeting Palestinian presence and indigenousheritage in Jerusalem, through arbitrary actions, detentions, and harassment as well as the policy of displacement through the demolition of homes, including most recently forcing citizen Daoud Saeed to demolish his home in Bab Huttaneighborhood next to Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, in addition to the delivery of several demolition orders in Silwan. The Cabinet equally condemned the announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Transportation on the allocation of separate buses for Palestinian citizens, a step that the Cabinet considered to be in line with the growing trends of racism against Palestinians.

In a separate context, the Cabinet affirmed that the government will continue its wide-scale intensive discussions and consultations to prepare a draft budget law for 2013. This, despite the difficult and complicated conditions facing the state treasury due to the severe and unprecedented financial crisis as well as the default of Arab assistance, particularly that approved through the Arab financial safety net; a crisis further compounded by the continued division and the economic losses this unacceptable and harmful situation causes, which also deprives the Gaza Strip from playing its natural role in contributing to the national economy . The Cabinet also reaffirmed the government's vision to maximize our own resources in order to protect the Palestinian political decision and strengthen its independence as well as to enable the Palestinian National Authority to meet any emerging needs of the Palestinian people, in addition to strengthening the efforts to ensure deficit reduction and concluding a fundable draft budget by the end of the month.

In a related context, the Cabinet decided to provide an amount of one million dollars a month in assistance to our people in refugee camps in Syria, in line with its responsibility towards our people there and given the absence of sufficient support from relevant international organizations. In the same context, the Cabinet reiterated its call on all parties to spare Palestinians from the ongoing destructive conflict in Syria and to stop thecrimes of murder and execution committed against our people in Syria.

Finally, and on the occasion of international Women’s Day on the 8th of March, the Cabinet extended its greetings to Palestinian women and affirmed the government's determination to move forward with all measures that would protect women’s status, achieve equality and social justice for women as well as enable them to enhance their role politically, economically, and socially and participation in decision-making positions.