Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met today at his office in Ramallah with the Swiss envoy to the Peace Process in the Middle East, Roland Stinger, where they discussed the latest political developments and the implications of the upcoming US elections on the Palestinian issue.
Shtayyeh urged Switzerland and European partners to recognize the state of Palestine, initiate pushing the political process forward, and to engage with the US administration at an early date to advance and protect the two-state solution and put the Palestinian issue on the agenda of the next administration.
He stressed the importance of supporting President Mahmoud Abbas’s call for convening an international peace conference early next year to achieve the two-state solution, end the occupation, and achieve the independence of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, through an international framework and in accordance with UN resolutions.
He emphasized the danger of the US administration’s funding of scientific activities in illegal West Bank settlements and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, which he stressed gives legitimacy to the occupation and its illegal settlements.
Regarding Palestinian elections, Shtayyeh briefed Stinger on efforts exerted to hold the elections, stating that, “We are going to the elections as a strategic option and all our efforts are focused on their success and overcoming obstacles to be a gateway to end the division, arrange our internal home and restore unity so that we can withstand and face external challenges,” adding that President Mahmoud Abbas has the serious and real will for that.
