Ramallah: His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, held a remote meeting from Ramallah with the Chairman and members of the Ministerial Committee mandated by the Joint Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on developments in the Gaza Strip.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the meeting was chaired by His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, and attended by Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan; Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates of Egypt; Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain; and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League.
On the Palestinian side, the meeting was attended by Hussein Al Sheikh, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Deputy President of the State of Palestine, and His Excellency Mohammad Mustafa, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
HE President Abbas expressed his appreciation for the committee's ongoing international efforts to defend the rights of the Palestinian people. He also thanked the committee for acknowledging the commitment of its member states in supporting the Palestinian cause.
HE the President expressed his anticipation for the upcoming high-level international conference on the Palestinian issue, scheduled to take place in New York this June, as an important platform for supporting the Palestinian cause and rallying international recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
HE President Abbas emphasised the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population. HE the President underscored the Palestinian Authority's readiness to cooperate with Arab nations and the international community to achieve peace and stability in Gaza, and wished the committee success in its continued efforts.
A statement issued by the Ministerial Committee after the meeting noted that the committee had briefed HE President Abbas on its international diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate end to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, lift the blockade, and address the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The committee also shared updates on ongoing preparations for the high-level international conference on a peaceful settlement and the implementation of the two-state solution, to be jointly chaired by Saudi Arabia and France later this month in New York. The conference aims to establish a Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
According to the statement, HE President Abbas commended the committee's role in mobilising international support to end the war in Gaza, alleviating the humanitarian crisis, and advancing the implementation of the two-state solution. HE the President reiterated his hope that the upcoming international conference would be a success and further the path toward broader recognition of the State of Palestine.
HE President Abbas also underscored the Palestinian government's commitment to its reform agenda and called for greater international cooperation to support political, economic, and security initiatives aligned with this vision. He urged Israel to release withheld Palestinian funds and underscored his full commitment to rejecting violence, protecting civilians, and working closely with Arab allies and international partners to achieve lasting peace and security. HE the President also expressed hope to welcome the Ministerial Committee to Palestinian territory soon.