Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh today called on the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the Palestinian Territories, Lynn Hastings, to provide protection for the Palestinian people in light of the daily Israeli killing of Palestinians and the terror of the soldiers and settlers.
He said that this could be done through the presence of UN forces on the ground to monitor the situation in the occupied territories.
Having international monitors on the ground was enforced in the southern West Bank city of Hebron for several years through the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), a civilian observer mission established in 1994 of members of several European countries pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 904 “to guarantee the safety and protection” of Palestinians following the massacre of 29 Palestinians in the Ibrahimi Mosque by an Israeli settler terrorist. TIPH teams would monitor and report about the situation on the ground to create a sense of security among Palestinians in Hebron.
TIPH mandate was, however, abruptly terminated by Israel in early 2019.
Prime Minister Shtayyeh also told Hastings that since the United Nations is responsible for establishing peace in the world, there should be a political framework that leads to the two-state solution, ending the occupation, and stopping Israel’s encroachment on Palestinian rights.
He said that development projects without a political horizon are insufficient and the solutions are political, not economic.
The two officials also discussed the general framework for the United Nations projects and programs in Palestine during the next year, pointing out that these projects should be in harmony with the Palestinian national priorities so that the aid will be invested in a way to have a tangible impact on the lives of the Palestinian people and enhance their resilience and steadfastness on their land.
The Prime Minister called on the United Nations to focus more on renewable energy projects, especially benefiting the refugee camps, technical and vocational training, and developmental projects that create job opportunities and contribute to reducing unemployment, especially among university graduates, as well as support for the University of Nablus for Vocational and Technical Education, both technically and vocationally, through United Nations experts.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency