Ramallah: The Presidency Friday affirmed its firm position of the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in and full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The Presidency reiterated in a press statement President Mahmoud Abbas’ position that it was necessary to establish an immediate ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and pave the way for the State of Palestine to assume full responsibility for the Strip as an integral part of the occupied territories.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, it also reiterated that it was the State of Palestine that has legal and political jurisdiction over the Strip as it is the case with the rest of the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem, while affirming rejection to any carving up of the Gaza Strip and forced expulsion of any Palestinian from their homeland.
It pointed out that as per the instructions of President Abbas, the Palestinian government has completed all preparations to assume full responsibilities in the Strip and that the government administrative and security personnel were fully prepared to carry out their tasks in order to alleviate the suffering inflicted on the Gaza population, allow displaced persons to return to their houses, restore essential services to the Strip, assume responsibility for the border crossings and help commence Gaza reconstruction.
It urged the international community along with neighboring and donor countries to offer urgent humanitarian aid to enable the government to shoulder its responsibilities towards the Palestinian people, whether in the Gaza Strip which has been subjected to a genocidal war or in the West Bank and Jerusalem which have been subjected to grave Israeli violations.
It reiterated the urgent need for a political solution based on the United Nations (UN) resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative by holding an international peace conference to mobilize international recognition of the State of Palestine and support its quest for full membership of the United Nations in order to bring about regional security and stability conducive to ending the occupation and realize the establishment of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the 1967 borders, in line with international law and the relevant UN resolutions.
It highly commended the efforts made by the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt to achieve the Gaza ceasefire. It voiced appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the US for their efforts.
It highly appreciated the role of the peoples of the world who went to the streets and rallied in solidarity with the Palestinian people and demanded an immediate ceasefire.