Palestinian PM urges U.S. to stop all Israeli violations, unilateral measures

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye speaks during a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on June 14, 2022. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye urged the U.S. government to "exert real pressure" on Israel to stop all violations and release the Palestinian tax revenue dues it had illegally deducted.

RAMALLAH, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Thursday called on the U.S. government to stop all violations and unilateral measures adopted by Israel against the Palestinians.

An official statement said Ishtaye made the remarks during a meeting with Hady Amr, the U.S. special representative for Palestinian affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

The two sides discussed the unilateral practices taken by the new Israeli government, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against the Palestinian people as soon as it assumed power.

Mourners carry the body of Awni Aslan, killed early on Thursday during an Israeli raid, during his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Qalandia, on Jan. 12, 2023. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

"The U.S. government is required to move urgently to put an end to the unilateral Israeli measures and threats that undermine the national authority and systematically end the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state," Ishtaye told Amr.

He pointed to a need for the upcoming visit of U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to the region to carry a message of hope for the Palestinian people.

"The two U.S. officials should deliver a clear statement to the Israeli government that it is obligated to respect international law and the agreements Israel signed with the Palestinians," Ishtaye said.

Palestinians gather around the body of Ahmad Abu Jneid, killed by Israeli soldiers in clashes, at a hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, on Jan. 11, 2023. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

He urged the United States "to exert real pressure on the Israeli government to stop all violations and release the Palestinian tax revenue dues it had illegally deducted."

Ishtaye said the Palestinian people and their leadership "will not accept the fait accompli and will move forward in the popular, political, diplomatic and legal struggle in the face of the Israeli measures."

On Friday, the Israeli cabinet for security and political affairs approved punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority for its approach to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Palestinian protesters hurl stones at Israeli military vehicles during clashes in the West Bank city of Nablus, on Jan. 12, 2023. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)

The punitive measures included the deduction of 39.6 million U.S. dollars from the Palestinian tax revenue dues and the freezing of building permits in Area C, which is under full Israeli control in the West Bank.

The Palestinians want to establish an independent state on the territories seized by Israel in 1967, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.