Prime Minister: We Will Announce a Committee to Manage Sector Affairs Referenced by the Palestinian Government

SadaNews - Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stated that the continuation of the Israeli aggression should not grant any local or international party legitimacy to impose top-down arrangements on the Gaza Strip.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed in a press conference held alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati at the Rafah land crossing on the Egyptian side, today, Monday, that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of our people, and the government is the only executive authority authorized to manage Gaza's affairs as it is in the West Bank.

He emphasized that the Government of the State of Palestine is ready and able to assume its responsibilities towards our people in Gaza despite the magnitude of the challenges, in cooperation with all brothers and friends, and in partnership with the private sector, civil society, and willing international institutions as part of our national strategy.

The Prime Minister said: We will soon announce a committee to manage Gaza Strip affairs, which is a temporary committee referenced by the Palestinian government, and it is not a new political entity, but a reactivation of the work of the State of Palestine's institutions and its government in Gaza according to the basic system and as stipulated by Arab summit resolutions and international bodies.

He added: We will thwart any attempts to disrupt the national will and the Arab and international consensus on the exclusivity of Palestinian national institutions in the West Bank and Gaza, and on the realization of an independent Palestinian state over all Palestinian territories.

He confirmed that President Mahmoud Abbas is leading political and diplomatic efforts, supported by brotherly and friendly countries and international organizations to stop the aggression, prevent displacement, and unify the two parts of the homeland within the framework of the institutions of the independent State of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The Prime Minister said: We will continue our commitment and our responsibilities, as we have since the establishment of the authority, to provide services to our people in the Gaza Strip, including education, health, water, electricity, and others, with the participation of tens of thousands of our employees in the sector.

He stressed the continuation of work with brothers in Egypt to prepare for holding a conference for reconstruction in Cairo as soon as possible, so we can rebuild the Gaza Strip in partnership with brothers and friends, based on the Arab plan for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza approved by Arab and international parties.

He emphasized that the Rafah crossing must be a gateway to life and not a tool for Israel's siege of our people, and that Israel's continued closure of it and preventing thousands of aid trucks lined up from entering the Strip, sends the largest message to the world that Israel is starving the Palestinian people, paving the way for their displacement and preventing the establishment of their unified and independent state.

The Prime Minister appreciated the principled and steadfast position of sisterly Egypt, represented by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, which stood as a strong bulwark against displacement schemes, despite the immense pressures targeting it. He also praised its historical alignment alongside the Palestinian right, its strong political and national vision regarding our just cause, and its continuous efforts to end the war, lift the siege, prevent displacement, and achieve the unity of Palestine and its national institutions under legitimate leadership, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The Prime Minister urged a more effective international movement to compel Israel to resume the immediate entry of aid shipments and stop using starvation as a weapon against civilians.

Below is the text of the Prime Minister's speech:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Even though we stand here, on the outskirts of the devastated Rafah, our hearts are with our people in the Gaza Strip... We will not despair, nor will we tire or grow weary in doing everything possible to stop this unjust war against our people and restore a dignified life to our beloved Strip. What is happening in Gaza breaks our hearts, but we remain steadfast.

Everyone understands that the scale of the suffering experienced by our people in the Strip over the past twenty-three months is unprecedented in contemporary history. From day one, the stance of President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian government has been clear:

This war must stop, and the continued daily suffering of people in search of food, water, medicine, and ongoing displacement is a shame on the world's conscience and humanity.

This crossing must be a gateway to life, not a tool for Israel's siege of our people.

It is unreasonable for Israel to continue preventing thousands of trucks lined up here from entering the Strip while continuing its challenge to the humanity of the world, starving more than two million people.

This crossing, which is closed by the occupation's tanks, has been trampled by the feet of Palestinians since the dawn of history, and closing it even to the movement of aid trucks sends the strongest message to the world that Israel is starving the Palestinian people, paving the way for their displacement and preventing the establishment of their unified and independent state. Therefore, we all must confront that.

And while we are here on Egyptian soil, we once again appreciate the principled and steadfast position of sisterly Egypt, represented by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, which stood as a strong bulwark against the plans for displacement despite the immense pressures it faces. We salute the great Egyptian people and their esteemed government.

We highly appreciate Egypt's historical alignment alongside the Palestinian right, its strong political and national vision toward our just Palestinian cause, its continuous work to end the war, lift the siege, prevent displacement, rebuild, and achieve the unity of Palestine and its national institutions under legitimate leadership, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization.

We also salute and thank all the brotherly and friendly countries and international organizations that provide humanitarian assistance to our people in the Strip, and those that work to stop the aggression and support our established political rights.

And despite these advanced positions of the majority of countries in the world regarding what is happening in the Gaza Strip, our people in the Strip need a more effective international movement that compels Israel to resume the entry of aid shipments immediately, and to stop using starvation as a weapon against civilians, including the children, women, and elderly, who have been exhausted by war and the suffering of hunger and life in tents.

Brothers and sisters:

O our people and beloved community in the Gaza Strip.

We will not rest until we restore a dignified life for you and bring unity between the two parts of the homeland on the way to realizing the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. We want to do this hand in hand with all the faithful among our people and our nation.

There is no time for sorrow and no time for blame, for our people in Gaza need every serious and sincere effort to lift the injustice against them, stop the aggression, rebuild the Strip, and provide means for a dignified life for them in their homeland.

We will continue our commitment and our responsibilities, as we have since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority, to provide services to our people in the Gaza Strip, from education, health, water, electricity, and others, with the participation of tens of thousands of our employees in the sector, whom we are proud of for their resilience and continuity in serving their people under these highly complex circumstances.

Even during the war, we established a governmental operations room for the southern governorates in Ramallah that includes more than 40 local and international governmental and relief entities to coordinate relief efforts in the Strip with local and international partners. During the previous ceasefire, we began establishing temporary shelter camps and clearing rubble from some vital facilities before the occupation returned and destroyed it all! But we are preparing to intensify relief efforts when conditions allow.

We are also continuing to work with our brothers in Egypt to prepare for holding a reconstruction conference in Cairo as soon as possible, to rebuild the Gaza Strip in partnership with brothers and friends, based on the Arab plan for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza approved by Arab and international parties.

During our meeting yesterday with the Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, we reviewed the implementation plans we recently prepared, which will be presented at the conference when it convenes.

At the political level, since the first day of this aggression, President Mahmoud Abbas has been leading Palestinian political and diplomatic movements, supported by brotherly and friendly countries and international organizations to stop the aggression, prevent displacement, and unify the two parts of the homeland within the framework of the institutions of the independent State of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Brothers and sisters,

The Gaza Strip is an integral part of the internationally recognized State of Palestine, and the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of our Palestinian people, and the Palestinian government is the only executive authority authorized to manage Gaza's affairs (as it is in the West Bank).

Our government... the Government of the State of Palestine is ready and capable of bearing its responsibilities toward our people in the Gaza Strip despite the magnitude of the challenges. We will do this in cooperation with all brothers and friends and in partnership with the private sector, civil society, and willing international institutions as part of our national strategy.

Arrangements for governing Gaza after the end of the war must reinforce Palestinian internal unity and reflect the decisions of the Arab consensus represented by the Arab summit, and the international consensus represented by the statement issued by the international conference to implement the two-state solution, which was recently held in New York under the leadership of Saudi Arabia and France with the participation of 128 countries and international institutions.

As for the committee to manage Gaza Strip affairs, which we will announce soon after the end of the aggression, it is a temporary committee and referenced by the Palestinian government.

We are not establishing a new political entity in Gaza, but rather reactivating the work of the institutions of the State of Palestine and its government in Gaza according to our basic system, as stipulated by Arab summit resolutions and international bodies.

We clearly state that managing the Gaza Strip in the next phase after stopping the aggression is not a gain, or a place for profit, or a desire for power and governance, but rather a significant responsibility and a historical trust to thwart plans for displacement, strengthen the steadfastness of our people, unify their national institutions, and build their independent state.

The Palestinian cause as a whole is targeted today, more than ever, and thus, the continuation of Israeli aggression must not grant any party, local or international, legitimacy to impose top-down arrangements on the Gaza Strip, for Gaza is an integral part of the homeland.

We will thwart any attempts to disrupt the national will and the Arab and international consensus on the exclusivity of Palestinian national institutions in the West Bank and Gaza, and on embodying the independent Palestinian state on all Palestinian territories along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Abdel Aati: Our Position on the Palestinian Cause is Steadfast and Unchanging, and We Reject Any Displacement Plans

For his part, Abdel Aati stated: "We emphasize from here in front of the Rafah crossing that the Egyptian stance is steadfast and unchanging, and that Egypt rejects any plans for displacement, whether through the imposition of a scorched earth policy or through practices that impose a new political reality aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause or attempting to remain in the Strip or annex the West Bank, and we reject the Israeli statements and the illusions of what is called 'Greater Israel'.

He added that there is a clear targeting from the Israeli war machine towards civilians and the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including targeting those waiting for aid, as well as following a starvation policy even against innocent children, which led to their deaths due to malnutrition, lack of medicine, and the spread of diseases and epidemics.

He confirmed that Egypt will remain a supporter of the Palestinian people in obtaining their legitimate rights, noting that his country has contributed about 70% of the aid that has entered Gaza, indicating that the Gaza Strip needs between 700 to 900 trucks of aid daily, while there are more than 5,000 trucks of aid on the Egyptian side of the crossing.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister called for pressuring Israel to stop the fire in Gaza and open the crossings, and we will continue efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.