Prime Minister: The Israeli blockade costs the Palestinian economy $11 billion annually

SadaNews: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa emphasized that "the financial and economic blockade poses a serious threat to the ability of Palestinian institutions to continue operating, as Israel continues to illegally withhold Palestinian tax revenues, which amount to about $6 billion, in addition to freezing about $5 billion of other Palestinian bank funds that the Israeli central bank refuses to accept, costing the Palestinian economy a loss of up to $11 billion annually."

He added, "Despite these exceptional circumstances, the government has continued to implement its reform programs and enhance the performance of public institutions, based on Palestinian national priorities and interests, in coordination with the European Union and international partners." He stressed that the continued implementation of reforms and building on them to enhance the performance of Palestinian institutions necessarily requires providing the necessary political, financial, and operational environment, including halting Israeli measures undermining the Palestinian economy and institutions.

This came during a joint meeting and briefing session, today Tuesday, at the Prime Minister's office, with European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica, in the presence of the European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Christoph Beigel, European Union Representative in Palestine Alexander Stuttmann, and Minister of Finance and Planning İstefan Salameh.

He continued: "Achieving security, stability, and peace in the region is only possible by ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a viable, independent, and connected Palestinian state, based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, while ensuring the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among which is the right to self-determination."

Regarding Israeli policies, the Prime Minister said: "What Israel is practicing on the ground, whether in the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank including Jerusalem, is not just isolated measures, but a systematic and deliberate policy aimed at dismantling the Palestinian presence and undermining the two-state solution, and closing the horizon for an independent Palestinian state, foremost among these policies is the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and its unprecedented human catastrophe."

The Prime Minister referred to the policies of settlement expansion and the de facto annexation of Palestinian lands, and systematic attacks by settlers that enjoy official Israeli protection and support, ensuring impunity for their perpetrators, alongside escalating Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement and assaults on holy and heritage sites aimed at creating an irreversible field reality.

The Prime Minister called on international partners, foremost among them the European Union, to continue to play their role in protecting the two-state solution and supporting institutional and financial stability, and to take practical and effective steps, with strength and firmness, to stop Israeli practices and policies that violate international law and hold them accountable, contributing to achieving justice for the Palestinian people.

He reiterated that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine and that the Palestinian National Authority is the legitimate entity capable of shouldering its responsibilities and serving our people in the sector as in all other Palestinian territories, calling for intensified efforts to implement Security Council Resolution (2803), including a ceasefire, providing urgent relief, early recovery, and reconstruction, and restoring essential services, culminating in bringing Gaza under the governance of the State of Palestine.

For her part, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica confirmed the European Union's continued support for Palestine, noting that the presence of strong and governed Palestinian institutions drives this process, pointing out that settlement expansion and the escalation of attacks by Israeli settlers undermine these efforts.

The European Commissioner expressed that the continued humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable, and that the European Union is working extensively to end this suffering, emphasizing the necessity of allowing humanitarian and relief assistance into the sector, leading to reconstruction and full recovery.