Presidency welcomes Gaza ceasefire, calls for practical steps to end the Israeli occupation

RAMALLAH, Friday, May 21, 2021 (WAFA) – Palestinian presidency today welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and called for practical steps to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The presidency commended in a press statement the efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the US administration, the European Union and the United Nations for reaching the ceasefire, and praised the Palestinian people for their sacrifices in Gaza, defiance of the forced expulsions in Sheikh Jarrah among other Israeli actions in Jerusalem, as well as for their peaceful protests in the West Bank.
It added that the Palestinian people remained steadfast in the face of all Israeli occupation measures as around-the-clock Palestinian, Egyptian, Arab and US efforts were underway to ensure a ceasefire is reached, including actions taken at the UN Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.
It pointed that President Mahmoud Abbas initiated contacts from the very outset of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and the West Bank, including contacts with US President Joe Biden, in order to being the onslaught to an immediate end, including the forced expulsions in Jerusalem, which ignited the escalation.
It stressed that “it is the time for the US administration and the international community to take practical and serious steps to stop these ongoing Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people that gave rise to this grave escalation,” which resulted in the killing of at least 243, including 66 children, and wounding 1,910 others, including 90 severe injuries and 560 children, and which displaced over 75,000 people and caused extensive devastation to property, including to some 20 health facilities and 230 buildings.
It also urged the US administration besides to other international actors to halt unbridled Israeli settler mob violence against Palestinians and encroachments upon the holy sites, particularly in Jerusalem.
It reiterated President Abbas’ call for finding a political horizon towards ending the Israeli occupation of the territories of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, under the umbrella of the Quartet in line with the United Nations resolutions and international law to achieve security and stability in the region and the entire world.
“The current events have proven once again that the Palestinian question is the key to peace and security, and that the only clear path to this is Jerusalem, which lies at the center of the conflict and constitutes the path to peace and war,” it concluded.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)