RAMALLAH, June 25 (NNN-PNN) – Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammed Ishtaye reiterated on Wednesday that, all forms of Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank lands are “unacceptable.”
Ishtaye made the remarks in a meeting with Jamie McGoldrick, UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, and Gerald Rockenschaub, head of WHO office in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“We reject annexation in principle either it is a small or a big area of our lands,” Ishtaye said, adding that, the world “must be careful” of Israel’s intentions to go for a gradual annexation “to contain international rejection of the plan.”
According to a statement emailed to reporters, Ishtaye briefed the UN officials on the situation of the coronavirus in the Palestinian territories and the measures Palestine has taken to mitigate its outbreak.
“The outbreak of coronavirus in Palestine came earlier than we expected. However, the situation is still under control,” he said.
During the meeting, Ishtaye explored the role of the UN agencies in backing the Palestinian government to overcome the mounting difficulties faced by Palestinians, due to the severing of all forms of coordination with Israel, according to a Palestinian official.
Last month, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, announced the breakdown of all agreements and understandings reached with Israel and the United States, and stopped all forms of coordination with Israel.
The Palestinian leadership made this decision in response to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plan of annexing parts of the West Bank.
Currently, Netanyahu is pushing his plan to annex the Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley, a portion of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Israeli prime minister set July 1 as the starting date for the beginning of the plan despite international condemnations.
