Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Ramallah - Ma'an - The caretaker government held its weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister Dr Salam Fayyad at the Council of Ministers headquarters in Ramallah on Monday, where ministers addressed the urgent issue of the Gaza massacre.
Fayyad briefed the ministers on the diplomatic efforts made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as part of his efforts to secure an immediate halt to Israeli atrocities.
In order to rally the international community to the Gaza cause the caretaker government issued the following statement:
First: The Government renews its strong condemnation of the continued aggression on our people in the Gaza Strip and calls on the international community to put pressure on Israel to ensure the immediate freeze of Israeli attacks. We also stress the need for Arab and international protection for Palestinians.
Second: The government calls to renew the truce to spare our people.
Third: The government strongly condemns Israeli forces’ attacks on peaceful demonstrations in the West Bank which led to the death of two Palestinians, and injury of many others.
Fourth: The government praises the unity and cooperation among Palestinians in all places to oppose the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and calls for more unity to stop the Israeli practices.
Fifth: The government condemns all the damning rumors blaming Egypt and the nearby Arab countries for their lack of involvement and asks all parties to halt such accusations. The government needs no more conflicts with any Arab states and rather hopes to keep good relations.
Sixth: The government renews its call for a meeting among Arab foreign ministers, set to take place Wednesday, where all parties will discuss steps to stop the Israeli aggression.
Seventh: The government praises the efforts of all medical staff in Gaza to support the Palestinian people and rescue them from Israeli attacks.
The government also publically thanked Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Qatar, for their offers to accept Gaza’s wounded.
