PM Mustafa Urges EU Missions to Intensify Pressure on Israel to End War and Release Withheld Funds

Ramallah: Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa met today at his office in Ramallah with the heads of European missions accredited to the State of Palestine, briefing them on the latest developments amidst the ongoing Israeli war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, continued attacks by Israeli occupation forces and colonists in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Israel's ongoing illegal withholding of Palestinian tax revenues. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Prime Minister Mustafa reaffirmed the content of the letter sent by President Mahmoud Abbas to both the President of France and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The letter emphasized the urgent need to secure a ceasefire, lift the Israeli blockade on Gaza and across all other occupied Palestinian territories, begin reconstruction, and enable the State of Palestine to assume full responsibilities in both the West Bank and Gaza. He emphasized the need for increased international pressure to resume the transfer of a ll Palestinian tax revenues and to release the illegally withheld funds, reiterating that there is no justification for the continued withholding of these funds and the illegal deductions imposed by Israel, the occupying Power. The Prime Minister also called on European representatives to step up their field visits to targeted areas to witness firsthand the violations committed by Israeli occupation forces and colonists against the Palestinian people and their property, and to convey these realities to decision-makers within the European Union. Mustafa praised the European Union's unwavering political and financial support for Palestine and welcomed ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at realizing the independent Palestinian State, particularly efforts to convene the International Peace Conference as soon as possible. He further called for broader recognition of the State of Palestine. For his part, EU Representative to Palestine Alexandre Stutzmann reaffirmed the EU's steadfast support for the institutions o f the State of Palestine and the Palestinian people, as well as the Union's commitment to international law and international humanitarian law. He also stressed the EU's efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, resume the entry of humanitarian and relief aid, restore basic services, and pave the way for reconstruction.