At a meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in Brussels, on Monday 20 April, Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, reiterated that “a lasting peace requires not only agreements on the ground, but also a clear and irreversible path towards ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital”.
In front of some 60 delegations, the Prime Minister recalled the situation on the ground, both in Gaza and in the West Bank. “The lessons of recent years are very clear. War has not brought peace. The siege has brought about security. Occupation has not brought stability. Forced displacement cannot engender legitimacy, and annexation cannot engender coexistence. Only an adjustment and lasting peace can achieve this”, he stressed.
“After years of war, it has to be said that the issue of a two-state solution has hardly moved forward. Yet this solution remains the most viable route to a peaceful Middle East. For it to have a chance of succeeding, both parties must honour their commitments”, warned EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas. In her view, the participants can and must “do more to ensure respect for human rights and accountability in order to protect the Palestinian people and put the two-state solution back at the heart of the discussions”.
She condemned Israel’s “unilateral actions”, calling on the Hebrew State to halt the expansion of settlements and punish the crimes committed by settlers. “Israel must pay back the tax revenues it has withheld. This money belongs to the Palestinian people”, she added. “Israel is withholding billions of dollars of our own funds, more than $5 billion, thus de facto preventing us from providing essential services to our population. This must stop”, pleaded the Palestinian Prime Minister ahead of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.
At the same time, the Palestinian Authority must undertake reforms, Kaja Kallas pointed out. Mohammad Mustafa promised that his country was making progress with its reforms. “The Palestinian Authority has made significant progress in implementing its comprehensive reform programme, notably by strengthening the rule of law, improving transparency and optimising service delivery”, he said. He also highlighted the security sector reform carried out with the support of international partners, noting in particular the role of the EU and the United States and their contributions to border management, the rule of law and institutional support in Palestine.
According to the Prime Minister, the government has achieved 72% of the points set out in the reforms, “even though we are still in the middle of the programme”. “We are therefore well ahead of schedule in achieving our reform objectives”, he explained.
Cooperation with the Board of Peace. Kaja Kallas and Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide also stressed the need for the Ad Hoc Committee and US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ to cooperate. Mr Barth Eide felt that the presence of the United States and the High Representative of the Board of Peace at the Committee meeting should make it possible to “contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza and to ensure that it is fully part of the reconstruction of Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian government”. “It is essential that the Palestinian Authority and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza work together, not in opposition”, added Ms Kallas, while Mr Mustafa reiterated that Gaza and the West Bank should be unified under the Palestinian Authority at the end of the transition period. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)