Embassy of the State of Palestine

During its weekly meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, Dr. Salam Fayyad, the Cabinet was briefed by the Prime Minister on the ongoing discussions and consultations about the draft budget bill, including the latest meeting held by the Coalition of Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) on Monday, which was attended by civil society representatives and experts. The Cabinet affirmed it shall conclude its discussion on the draft budget bill upon completion of consultations.

The Cabinet welcomed the United Nations Human Rights Council’s adoption of five resolutions in favor of the State of Palestine by an absolute majority, including following up on the report submitted by the independent international Fact-Finding mission to investigate the consequences of Israeli settlements on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The Cabinet considered these resolutions a new victory for our people's just cause as well as a clear expression of the growing international position about the importance of the international community exercising its legal and moral responsibilities in enabling the Palestinian people to exercise its national rights, foremost of which is ending the occupation, the right to self-determination, and exercising national sovereignty over the territory of the independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. TheCabinet further affirmed that the adoption of these resolutions are an affirmation of the international community's commitment to the legal responsibility borne by states to confront, reject, and not participate directly or indirectly participate in the actions undertaken by the occupation authorities that violate Palestinian rights. In this regard, the Cabinet called upon all states to translate the text and spirit of these resolutions in practical and effective measures, particularly in relation to not engaging in any kind of business or other activity that supports or enhances the settlement and wall regime.

The Cabinet also denounced the Israeli authority’s decision to postpone Samer Issawi’s trial, who has been on a hunger strike since August 2012, until May, and affirmed it considered this step to be a danger to his life. In this context, the Cabinet demanded the international community’s immediate and effective intervention to save Samer Issawi’s life and free him, as well as end the illegitimate policy of administrative detention policy. The Cabinet also called for the release of all prisoners, especially children and sick prisoners, as well as the members of the Legislative Council and veteran prisoners. It also held the Israeli government fully responsible for their lives.

In the same context, the Cabinet condemned the continuing violations of the occupation army and settlers against Palestinian citizens and their properties in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, especially storming the Ahfad Younis neighborhood in Bab Al-Shams village in Jerusalem and evicting its residents, in addition to the repeated incidents of firing on fishermen in Gaza Strip as well as the assault of a Palestinian woman in Hebron by settlers and throwing stones and glass at Palestinian vehicles in the south and west of Nablus and Ramallah. In the same context, the Cabinet also condemned the arbitrary actions of the occupation, which prevented the access of thousands of citizens to Jerusalem during Palm Sunday.

In a separate context, the Cabinet reiterated its condemnation of the murders and executions against Palestinian refugees in Sbeineh and Yarmouk refugee camps near Damascus. The Cabinet called upon all parties of the conflict to spare the Palestinians from the ongoing bloody military operations that have been going on for the past two years. The Cabinet also called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities to save our people from the effects of this bloody conflict as well as to find a resolution to the crisis of Palestinians displaced from Syria and those stranded at the Jordanian border.