Prime Minister Meets High-Level European Delegation on the Sidelines of the Launch of the Eighth Edition of the Palestinian-European Investment Platform

SadaNews - Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa met today, Monday, at his office in Ramallah, with a high-level European delegation on the sidelines of the launch of the eighth edition of the Palestinian-European Investment Platform. The delegation included the acting Director General of the Middle East, North Africa, and Gulf Department of the European Commission, Michael Karnitschnig, the Vice President of the European Investment Bank, Jelsomina Villioti, the representative of the European Union to the State of Palestine, Alexander Stutzmann, and the accompanying delegation, with the presence of the Minister of Finance and Planning, Stepan Salama.

Mustafa briefed the European delegation on the latest developments, particularly the escalation of settler terrorism and the occupation's crimes against our people, which reached 1659 assaults in the past month alone, as part of their efforts to control the largest area of land and expel the Palestinian population.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the difficult economic conditions faced by our people and national institutions, due to the ongoing occupation's complete piracy of clearance funds and the decline of the Palestinian economy by 30% of the GDP, coupled with unprecedented levels of unemployment, as a result of the occupation's procedures and movement and work restrictions. He called for more international pressure, especially from Europe, to stop Israeli illegal procedures and settler terrorism.

Mustafa urged the European Union to become more involved in relief and early recovery efforts, particularly in light of the worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip due to occupation restrictions, the delay in implementing the transitional recovery phase in Gaza, and the continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire announcement.

For his part, Karnitschnig affirmed the European Union's commitment to providing political and economic support to the State of Palestine and our people, and to enhancing joint cooperation, especially under the current difficult circumstances, emphasizing the EU's position on the unity of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and its reference to the Palestinian political system, reiterating their rejection of settler violence and the Israeli unilateral measures aimed at undermining the functioning of the institutions of the State of Palestine.

Additionally, Villioti reiterated the European Investment Bank's support for the Palestinian economy, including quality projects to support the private sector, including the banking sector, and infrastructure projects to improve services provided to our people.

It is noteworthy that the investment platform was launched in December 2020 as a cooperative initiative between the European Union and Palestine, and today, under the auspices of the Prime Minister, a number of financial cooperation agreements with the Palestinian banking sector will be signed.