Palestine urges global pressure to release withheld funds

RAMALLAH, July 18 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates called on the international community to take serious and effective action to compel Israeli occupation to release the Palestinian people's funds immediately.
In a press statement on Friday, Palestinian Foreign Ministry said that withholding Palestinian funds came under the occupation's comprehensive war against Palestinian people's cause and the opportunity to establish their state on the ground.
The Palestinian Cabinet held an emergency meeting on Thursday to address the serious and unprecedented repercussions of continued withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues.
The cabinet explained in a press release on Thursday that these developments gravely threaten the government's ability to sustain the provision of essential public services, particularly in the health, education, and social protection sectors, as well as other vital areas.
"This financial strangulation has severely undermined the government's capacity to meet its core obligations, most notably in the healthcare sector, where acute shortages of medicines and medical supplies pose an imminent risk of systemic collapse," it added.
The cabinet reaffirmed that the Palestinian leadership, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, is undertaking intensive political and legal efforts to restore the withheld funds and safeguard Palestinian rights.
It urged the international community, particularly the United States, as a signatory to the Oslo Accords, and France, as the host of the Paris Protocol, to take immediate and decisive action to compel Israeli occupation to fulfill its legally binding obligations. (end) nq.ao