The Cabinet Approved a Series of Decisions.. Mustafa: The Economic and Financial Challenges We Face Have Political Causes

SadaNews - Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Mustafa praised the international stances supporting Palestine, the latest being Belgium and Croatia's move to recognize the State of Palestine, in addition to a group of countries that announced their intention to recognize it during the sessions of the United Nations General Assembly this month. These international moves indicate that the political stance and direction being pursued by President Mahmoud Abbas continue to achieve more accumulated accomplishments day by day, culminating in the significant achievement of establishing the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Prime Minister reiterated at the outset of the weekly Cabinet meeting today, Tuesday, his affirmation that the Gaza Strip is an important part of the State of Palestine, stating: "The commitment is not only to restore the unity between Gaza and the West Bank but also to rebuild Gaza and bring life back to it, so that our people in all places they reside can enjoy a stable and happy life, for our people deserve that."

Mustafa praised the steadfastness of the people of Gaza, where dozens of martyrs fall every day alongside the ongoing destruction. He also honored the people of the West Bank, including Jerusalem, who are subjected to practices aimed at weakening our ability as the State of Palestine and the National Authority and Government to achieve and translate international accomplishments on the ground through the establishment of the state and its independence.

Regarding the financial situation, Mustafa pointed to the meeting of the Economic Ministerial Committee, which reviewed the political issues and challenges facing the financial and economic situation, along with a set of steps being worked on to change this reality. He emphasized that the economic and financial challenges we face have political causes, and once they change, these steps and programs will have a significant positive impact that will reflect in the improvement of the financial and economic situation. He also indicated that work is underway to secure a salary payment for public employees within a few days.

Concerning the start of the school year, the Prime Minister said: "Preparations were made for the school year to start on time yesterday, but they were not completed due to the Israeli policies that cast shadows over the financial and economic situation, leading to a delay in its commencement. This is a message to the international community that Israeli measures impact all aspects of life in Palestine, including education, which is extremely important and sacred to us as Palestinians, and we will not compromise on it. We will continue to work with all parties, especially the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, to ensure that the school year starts very soon."

Mustafa added: "We will not fall short for a single day towards our people in Gaza or the West Bank, including Jerusalem, despite the difficulties and challenges. We are confident that we have the capacity, wisdom, and the judgment of the President and his leadership, alongside everyone's efforts, to overcome this stage, without feeling weak due to Israeli practices. We will work diligently in this stage to lead our people to safety and achieve their hopes and dreams of freedom, independence, and liberation."

Moreover, the Cabinet renewed its call to various countries around the world and international institutions to apply pressure to stop the Israeli war crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and to halt the occupation plans aimed at preventing the implementation of international will to realize the two-state solution through annexation plans, expanding colonialism, and settlers' assaults, as well as undermining the work of the Palestinian state institutions and withholding Palestinian tax revenues for the fourth consecutive month.

The Cabinet also approved the comprehensive national spatial development plan for 2050, which is being achieved for the first time in this comprehensive and detailed manner. Its political importance lies in providing a vision for dealing with current plans and protecting Palestinian resources. It includes planning for sustainable urban development and effective infrastructure networks, such as transportation systems, water, electricity, communication networks, and balanced social and economic development, reflected in over 160 development projects in various fields. The Cabinet expressed its gratitude to all the teams and technical groups that worked continuously for several years to prepare this plan, with the cooperation of all specialists, and with pure Palestinian hands and minds, alongside appreciated local funding from the Munib and Angela Masri Foundation.

The Council approved the recommendations of the national team regarding the implementation of settlement operations in the areas classified as "C" and accelerating the fieldwork to complete the settlement operations, while continuing diplomatic efforts to gather more international support opposing annexation and confiscation plans, and moving on all fronts to protect the rights of our people, including continuing legal efforts with various international institutions.

The Council discussed in the first reading two drafts: the monitoring and quality control system in the Palestinian Petroleum Authority, and the financial system project for commercial operations in the Palestinian Petroleum Authority.

Furthermore, the Council discussed the Ministry of Health's report on updates regarding the epidemiological situation, including the positive results of the fourth testing samples for polio, which confirmed the Gaza Strip is free from the polio virus after the success of the Ministry and international institutions in the comprehensive vaccination campaign during the previous truce. In addition, the Ministry of Health continues, through its protocols and response plans, to deal with any emergencies concerning the registration of cases of Malta fever, rabies, or COVID-19 with its new variants. Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture and Health continues the vaccination process for animals in coordination with the Ministry of Local Government and local authorities, especially in dealing with stray dogs, in light of the risks of increasing rabies infection cases, to contain such cases.