Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh, has announced that development under occupation is a “difficult mission,” Ma’an News Agency reported on Friday.
Shtayyeh has delivered two speeches in Stockholm, stating that Israel controls the Palestinian economic resources, crossings and borders.
He also asserted that Israel uses Area C as a geographic reserve for the settlement expansion, noting that this is a violation of all of the deals signed by the PA and Israel.
Such policies, he claimed during the meetings which were attended by researchers and NGOs, inflicted massive losses on the Palestinian economy.
“However, the government adopted a plan of gradual disengagement in relation to the dependency on the Israeli occupation,” he explained, stating that this would be reinforced through encouraging the national produce and commercial exchange with Arab and world countries.
Meanwhile, he briefed the attendees about the efforts of the PA president, Mahmoud Abbas, regarding the elections, noting that there were positive responses from the Palestinian factions. He stressed that the election is the only way to end the Palestinian division.
He also called on the EU and the UN to put pressure on Israel, in order to allow the Palestinians to vote in occupied Jerusalem, noting that efforts towards this have already started.
