During an official visit to Brussels where he met with the European Union foreign ministers, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh held several separate meetings, including a meeting with Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security, and with other European officials, including the foreign ministers of Spain and France.
In his meeting with Borrell, Shtayyeh briefed the European official on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories in light of the ascension to power of the new far-right Israeli government, explaining that this government encourages settlement expansion and its ministers break into Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and incite against it.
He urged the EU foreign policy chief to exert pressure on Israel to stop these unilateral measures and respect the status quo at the Muslim holy site.
He also stressed the importance of reviving the peace process in light of the deadlock in the political process and to build on the Arab Peace Initiative, expressing a desire to strengthen Palestinian-European cooperation and partnership through a full partnership agreement.
The Prime Minister also met separately with the Spanish foreign minister, José Manuel Albares Bueno, during which he called on him, as the next president of the EU, to lead European efforts to recognize the State of Palestine in order to protect the two-state solution, which he insisted Israel was systemically destroying.
He also met with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and urged her to recognize Palestine to preserve the two-state solution in light of Israel’s efforts to sabotage it.
Shtayyeh also met with the EU Neighborhood and Enlargement Policy Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, and President of the European Institute of Peace Annika Söder.
The Prime Minister had also met collectively with the European Union foreign ministers during which he urged them to recognize the State of Palestine in order to protect the two-state solution and to give hope to the Palestinian youth of the existence of a political horizon in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
All the meetings in Brussels were held in the presence of Foreign Minister Riyad Malki.
Source: Palestine News & Info Agency