The French Foreign Minister promises her Palestinian counterpart to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, traveling to the Middle East, met this Sunday with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad al Maliki, to whom she promised to increase humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip because “the Palestinian Authority must be strengthened and not weakened.”
Before meeting Maliki in Ramallah, the minister met with senior Israeli officials, telling them that she had not forgotten “the tragedy of October 7” but that “the lives of Palestinian civilians must be better protected” like her explained a message in X.
Regarding the West Bank, the head of French diplomacy has denounced that “settlement construction is being accelerated, which is a blatant violation of international law.” “In addition, settlers are committing abuses against Palestinians and depriving them of their rights and land. We cannot accept this, we will take action,” he said.
Al Maliki called for more pressure on Israel to “stop its aggression against the Palestinian people” and urged the international community not to treat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “as a peace partner.” He also pointed out that the Israeli leader “has worked in recent years to weaken the Palestinian Authority.” “He has publicly and openly admitted that he has failed to implement the signed agreements, prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state, weakened the Palestinian Authority and increased the division between the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” he said.
The minister pointed out that the “continuing crimes” of the Israeli army, the “invasion of Palestinian cities and camps” or the cutting of Palestinian funds are “the greatest evidence that Netanyahu has worked and is working for this weakening.”
Thus, he emphasized the “importance of a political horizon and a comprehensive vision for the West Bank, encompassing East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, leading to the incarnation of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders.” To this end, he called for support for Palestine asked for full membership in the United Nations.