The Israeli army has sealed off the city of Bethlehem and Palestinian officials have ordered the Church of the Nativity to close.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye (Photo: IANS)
Palestine on Tuesday warned Israel against pressing ahead with annexation policy amid its process to form a new government
Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye warned of the danger of an Israeli government coalition favoring the annexation of parts of the West Bank and emphasized the importance of an international role to confront such illegal plans that undermine international law and resolutions and threaten to end the two-state solution, according to a statement by his office, according to the media report.
Ishtaye made the remarks in two separate video-conference and telephone meetings with the new Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, and the UN Envoy for the Peace Process in the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov.
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Ishtaye briefed both Lazzarini and Mladenov on the obstacles facing the coronavirus outbreak and ways to alleviate its economic and financial consequences on the government and the Palestinian economy, which is affected by the unilateral Israeli measures against Palestinians and their territory.
“We have received promises of aid, few of which have been translated on the ground and we’re awaiting the rest. We will face this pandemic with a comprehensive national plan covering the West Bank, the Gaza strip, and the diaspora,” Ishtaye was quoted as saying.
On April 5, President Mahmoud Abbas extended the state of emergency for 30 days amid the new coronavirus pandemic.
The Israeli army has sealed off the city of Bethlehem and Palestinian officials have ordered the Church of the Nativity to close.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian workers, who work in Israel, were expected to return to their homes in the West Bank due to the Jewish holidays that will start this week.
Last week, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health has recorded the first death due to deadly virus in the occupied West Bank.
Ibrahim Melhem, the Ministry of Health spokesperson, said that 64 people have tested positive for the virus in Palestinian territories, 16 of whom are recovering.
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