RAMALLAH, Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh called on the US Congress to push for measures to protect the two-state solution which Israel works daily to destroy the possibility of its implementation through settlement expansion and perpetuating the fait accompli, which he stressed is a deteriorating reality.

This came during two separate meetings in Ramallah with two US delegations consisting of 25 members, mostly from the Democratic Party.

“We call upon you to push for recognizing the state of Palestine in the US Congress in order to protect the two-state solution, as well as to condemn settlements which represent the real enemy of the peace process,” said Shtayyeh, calling on the US congress to influence the US administration to implement its pledges, foremost of which is the opening of the US Consulate in Jerusalem.

The prime minister reiterated the need to review all laws and legislations targeting the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the US and to consider it a partner of peace.

“The Palestinian elections are a national and political necessity,” said Shtayyeh, stressing the Palestinian leadership’s keenness to hold them and calling on the US Congress to pressure Israel to respect the signed agreements, including allowing the elections to be held in Jerusalem.

He called on the US Congress to dispatch a committee to investigate the policies and procedures of discrimination and apartheid carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people which have been documented in various Israeli and international reports, such as the recent reports of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B’Tselem, the Israeli information center for human rights in occupied territories.

Source: Palestine News Info Agency