Palestine warns Israel against annexation policy
Palestine warned Israel against pressing ahead with annexation policy amid its process to form a new government. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Tuesday warned of the danger of an Israeli government coalition favoring the annexation of parts of the West Bank and emphasized the importance of an international role to confront such illegal plans that undermine international law and resolutions and threaten to end the two-state solution, according to a statement by his office, reported Xinhua news agency.
Ishtaye made the remarks in two separate video-conference and telephone meetings with the new Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, and the UN Envoy for the Peace Process in the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov.
They also talked over international support for the efforts of the Palestinian government amidst the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.
Ishtaye briefed both Lazzarini and Mladenov on the obstacles facing the coronavirus outbreak and ways to alleviate its economic and financial consequences on the government and the Palestinian economy, which is affected by the unilateral Israeli measures against Palestinians and their territory.
The prime minister stressed the need for mobilizing international support for UNRWA to be able to play its vital role during the novel coronavirus crisis, according to the statement.
"We have received promises of aid, few of which have been translated on the ground and we're awaiting the rest. We will face this pandemic with a comprehensive national plan covering the West Bank, the Gaza strip, and the diaspora," Ishtaye was quoted as saying.
Palestine declared a state of emergency on March 5, as the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the West Bank, and has taken measures to implement an austere budget, amidst forecasts of a significant negative economic impact.
