Palestinian PM Urges US Congress to Recognize State of Palestine

Ramallah, MINA – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday called on the US Congress to recognize the State of Palestine and push for the amendment of laws and regulations that target the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization and link them to terrorism.

Shtayyeh made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of US congressmen representing the Democratic and Republican parties at his office in Ramallah, WAFA reported.

The Prime Minister discussed with the delegation the future of the political process in light of the systematic destruction practiced by the Israeli government against the two-state solution, and the continuation of the occupation that violates Palestinian human rights and tightens the noose on Palestinians on a daily basis.

The Prime Minister stressed the need for the US administration to implement the pledges it made during its election campaign, foremost of which is the reopening of the US Consulate in Jerusalem, and the protection of the status quo in the Holy City.

The Prime Minister stressed that Israel’s friends have a duty to prevent it from placing itself and the region in front of a dangerous future by continuing its colonial policy and violations of human rights.

He referred to the “Human Rights Watch” report, which monitored Israel’s violations of the rights of the Palestinian people and described it as an apartheid state.

“How can we continue to talk about the two-state solution, when there are 720,000 settlers on the lands of the Palestinian state, and the settlement program is continuing, and there are 62% of the Palestinian lands under the direct control of Israel and it deals with it as a geographical reservoir for settlement expansion,” he added.

The Prime Minister also called for pressure on Israel to hold elections in all Palestinian lands, including Jerusalem.(T/R3/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)