FM al-Maliki urges Australia to recognize State of Palestine

RAMALLAH: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad al-Maliki, called today on the Australian government to recognize the State of Palestine, in line with the universal principles and values of peace, justice, human rights, equality, and respect for international law. He made the remarks during his meeting in Ramallah with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong. During the meeting, al-Maliki informed the Australian minister of the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing genocidal war launched by the Israeli occupation forces against innocent civilians, in which more than 24,000 people were killed. Al-Maliki also touched on what the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are exposed to, including the continuous violations of the occupation and the terrorism of its settles, daily raids into Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps, and the killing of Palestinian civilians, in addition to the seizure of Palestinian lands in favor of settlement expansion. He stressed that these violations and crimes threaten the security and stability of the entire region and aim to change the status quo on the ground. Al-Maliki called for an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, an end to the forced displacement of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and allowing basic humanitarian needs into the Strip. Meantime, Wong expressed her concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, stressing her country's clear and firm position on the need to protect the civilian population, end the suffering in the Gaza Strip, and bring humanitarian aid into the Strip. She stressed the need to relaunch a political process that leads to resolving the conflict and establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with the principle of the two-state solution and achieving peace that would achieve security and stability in the region. She also affirmed that Australia has doubled the humanitarian support provided to Palestine in light of this catastrophic humanitarian situation. Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA