Palestinian prime minister hopes for Japan-led support

July 4, 2019

Jericho, West Bank--Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has expressed expectations and gratitude for support from countries backing the establishment of a Palestinian state, at a meeting held under a Japan-led initiative for the development of the region.

"We are not looking for an additional loaf of bread. We are looking for dignity, freedom, the end of occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," Shtayyeh said at a meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development, or CEAPAD.

The meeting among senior working-level officials was held in Jericho and Ramallah, both West Bank cities, for two days from Wednesday.

At a U.S.-led international meeting in Bahrain in late June, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump called on Palestine to accept economic support while stopping short of clarifying its stance over the establishment of a Palestinian state.

In an apparent reference to the development, Shtayyeh said, "If there are people in Washington who believe that to squeeze us financially so that we are defeated and then surrender, we don't accept that, they are wrong," stressing Palestine's resolve not to yield to such pressure.

Shtayyeh highly rated the fact that the CEAPAD meeting was held shortly after the Bahrain meeting, noting that it represents the initiative's "clear message" that political issues in Palestine must not be ignored. "The timing of the CEAPAD (meeting) is crucial," he said.

CEAPAD was established in February 2013 to help Palestine use the experience of Asian nations for economic development for realizing peace in the Middle East through the coexistence of Palestine and Israel based on the "two-state" solution.

Its central members are six Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia and Thailand, as well as Japan and Palestine.

On Wednesday, the chambers of commerce and industry in Palestine and Indonesia exchanged a memorandum of understanding on the promotion of trade and investment. Jiji Press