Second day of Xavier Bettel’s working visit to Israel and Palestine

The various meetings enabled an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as on the prospects for a two-state solution. With regard to the situation in Gaza, Luxembourg’s head of diplomacy stressed the absolute need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. ©Autorité palestinienne He reiterated Luxembourg’s commitment to the two-state solution, which is the only way to guarantee a lasting and just peace. In this respect, the Minister condemned the Israeli government’s settlement policy, one of the main obstacles to the two-state solution. In Ramallah, Minister Bettel then held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki. The minister also had the opportunity to meet other leading figures from Palestinian society, including Mustafa Barghouti, President of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, and Hanan Ashrawi, a former Palestinian minister and the only woman to date to have been a member of the PLO Executive Committee. “UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response to the current crisis in the Gaza Strip, and it plays an essential role in the provision of necessary humanitarian services to the populations in the region,” said Xavier Bettel in this context, assuring the Commissioner General of Luxembourg’s continued support to UNRWA. Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defense, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade  Finally, Minister Bettel also stressed the importance of organising democratic elections in Palestine in good time.

Source