Council of Ministers Calls for More International Deterrent Measures to Stop Settler Attacks

SadaNews: The Council of Ministers has called for more international deterrent measures against the escalating terrorist attacks by settlers, the latest of which occurred early yesterday morning, Monday, in various locations, particularly in the villages of Eastern Luban and Qasra south of Nablus. These attacks resulted in injuries and the burning of homes and citizens' properties, emphasizing at the same time that these attacks are organized crimes carried out under the patronage of the occupying authorities aimed at creating a hostile environment for Palestinians and expanding settlement.

The council also condemned in its weekly session today, Tuesday, the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers, alongside allowing extremists to storm its courtyards, which is a blatant violation of the freedom of worship and a gross infringement of the sanctity of holy places. At the same time, it condemned the massacre committed by the occupation army yesterday, Monday, in the center of Gaza Strip, calling on mediators, guarantors, and international institutions to exert maximum pressure to stop the massacres, protect civilians, and pressure Israel to implement the second phase of the ceasefire, withdraw from the Strip, and lift the long-imposed restrictions on the entry of essential and food commodities.

The Council of Ministers called on the international community and the World Health Organization to respond quickly to the Palestinian Ministry of Health's call and to urgently intervene to provide rodent control materials to prevent the outbreak of epidemics in the Gaza Strip, saving about one million citizens living in dire and fragile humanitarian conditions.

In the economic context, Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa directed various relevant authorities to tighten control over markets to stabilize prices, provide essential goods, and maintain a strategic stock of 16 basic commodities. He emphasized activating complaint channels and enhancing communication with citizens, alongside combating manipulation, smuggling, and exploiting current circumstances, in a way that protects consumers and strengthens citizens' resilience in light of global economic challenges. This comes after a series of meetings held by the government with various federations of commercial and industrial chambers, the Union of Food Merchants, the Consumer Protection Association, and other relevant entities that showed their cooperation in understanding the citizens' circumstances and committing to not raising prices.

In another context, and as part of the executive steps to complete the implementation of the Education for Development initiative as one of the initiatives of the National Program for Development and Improvement, the Council of Ministers discussed the main features of the developmental programs that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education is working to implement within three main pathways to develop the education system. These pathways include expanding interactive education, increasing the percentage of vocational and technical education, and developing the general secondary education system according to specialized pathways that open new horizons for students and help prepare them for the university stage and labor market needs. In this regard, the Council of Ministers directed the Ministry of Education and Higher Education towards broader community participation regarding the draft of developing the general secondary education system and benefiting from the experiences of other countries.

The council also listened to a briefing from the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the spread of foot-and-mouth disease and its expansion in neighboring countries, including inside the Green Line, especially in light of a global shortage of vaccines for the new variant. The Council valued the efforts of the brothers in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, especially the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture, for their cooperation with their Palestinian counterpart in providing some of these vaccines. The vaccination of cattle has begun in all governorates, totaling 38,000 heads, especially since foot-and-mouth disease spreads more among cattle than other livestock. Vaccination of other livestock will begin as soon as additional vaccine supplies become available in the near future.

The Council of Ministers also approved the extension of the health insurance grant period for patients in the southern governorates in government hospitals.

It also approved the request from the Ministry of Local Government to form a national team to prepare a guide for Palestinian population centers for the year 2026, to contribute to studying, cataloging, naming, and coding these population centers, including preparing codes for the communities that can link the computerized statistical information with their geographical locations on maps, including interactive ones.

The council also approved a proposal to amend the general framework of the ministerial committee for emergency affairs, including its sectoral formations, and to add an additional sectoral committee for agriculture, which contributes to enhancing efforts to assess damage and direct available resources to address it and strengthen farmers' resilience.

The Council of Ministers also approved a memorandum of understanding between the Palestinian Standards and Metrology Institution and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization; paving the way for mutual recognition of standards and enhancing the opportunities to export Palestinian products to foreign markets.

The council also adopted the renewal of contracts for traffic organizers on the Kfar Aqab - Qalandiya street to regulate traffic and mitigate congestion. It also approved the new composition of the Electricity Sector Regulatory Board, which includes representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Local Government, the Energy and Natural Resources Authority, the Consumer Protection Association, alongside experts and specialists.

Additionally, the Council of Ministers congratulated the people on the occasion of the upcoming holiday of Easter, which coincides with next Sunday, April 12, 2026, wishing that the coming year brings security, freedom, and independence to our people.