Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, urged donor countries and international organizations to take serious measures towards boycotting Israeli settlements and to not only settle for labeling settlement products.
He stressed that the status quo imposed by Israel is deteriorating; as the Palestinian land is shrinking, the settlers’ violence is escalating, and access to resources is decreasing daily.
This came during a virtual meeting with over 40 donor countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Quartet office, presided by Norway, with the participation of finance minister Shukri Bishara.
The meeting discussed political and financial developments, and preparations for the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) meeting of donor countries scheduled to be held next February in Oslo.
Shtayyeh said that: “Economic development is not separate from the political and national project. Rather, it is a lever towards ending the occupation and establishing the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” stressing that the world must move to end this occupation because the status quo cannot continue.
Meanwhile, Bishara said that the corona pandemic crisis and the political crisis that led to the disruption of tax revenue funds had negatively affected the government’s financial position, although it maintained the functioning of institutions and committed itself to ensuring the needs of the health sector, social care, and the security institution.
Bishara noted that the expected budget deficit for this year will reach about one billion dollars, with the significant decline in international aid.
