P.A releases document on Gaza official stance after withdrawal

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry released an official document on the Palestinian official stance on the legal condition of the Gaza Strip following the Israeli withdrawal, as well as on the efforts of the international community to develop several economic sectors.

The ministry said that it welcomes any Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian occupied territories, stressing that the plan for disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank areas is a unilateral step that was declared by Israel without any coordination with the P.A.

“Israel should conduct similar steps in the West Bank, and fully withdraw from the Palestinian territories,” the ministry reported. “It should be committed to not moving the settlers from the Gaza Strip into the West Bank.”    

The Palestinian Authority statement also declared that the Palestinian territories should be geographically contiguous in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and east Jerusalem in accordance with international law and agreements signed by Israel.

The ministry also said that the international community should make sure that Israel is committed to respecting Palestinian sovereignty over the Palestinian areas, in order to guarantee freedom of movement of residents and goods, and to guarantee control over border crossings and ports.

Israeli should remove the rubble of the buildings it intends to demolish in the settlements, and deal with all environment-related issues. 

“This withdrawal should be part of a full Israeli withdrawal; the northern borders of the Gaza Strip should be on the truce line declared in 1949,” the ministry stated.“This should be the initial step towards a Palestinian independent state, with east Jerusalem as its capital. The issue of the Palestinian refugees should be solved in accordance to the UN resolution number 194”.   

The ministry also called on the Quartet (the U.S., the U.N., the European Union, and Russia) to make sure that Israel stops its settlement policies and its efforts to isolate the Palestinian residents from Jerusalem, in addition to halting the construction of the Separation Wall. 

Palestinian detainees should be released from all Israeli prisons without any labels or preconditions, the statement added.

 

Also, the P.A called on Israel to lift the closure imposed over Palestinian areas and end its continuous attacks carried out against the residents in violation of the principles of human rights guaranteed by international law.

Regarding the internal law in the Palestinian areas, the ministry said that the authority will separate executive, legislative and judicial powers and will ensure the independence of the judicial system, in addition to imposing law and order in the Palestinian-controlled areas. 

The ministry renewed its commitment to the peace process, the Road Map plan, and all resolutions of the international community, as well as international law, human rights decisions and all related UN resolutions. 

 

“The P.A calls on the international community and the Quartet to guarantee that the Israeli withdrawal should be the starting point for implementing the Road Map plan and the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the P.A, .,” the report concluded.