Following his meetings in Israel, Minister Bettel paid a working visit to Palestine, starting with a bilateral meeting with the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, and a visit to the Amari refugee camp and its medical facilities.
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Xavier Bettel visits the Amari refugee camp
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Xavier Bettel visits the Amari refugee camp
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Xavier Bettel visits the Amari refugee camp
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Xavier Bettel visits the Amari refugee camp
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Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs ; Hanan Ashrawi, former Palestinian minister and the only woman to date to have been a member of the PLO Executive Committee
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Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs ; Mohammad Shtayyeh, Prime Minister of Palestine
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Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs ; Mustafa Barghouti, President of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society
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Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs ; Riad al-Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine
Commissioner Lazzarini briefed the Luxembourg delegation on the work carried out by UNRWA in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, particularly with regard to the enormous challenges facing this UN agency. The Minister thanked UNRWA for its commitment in caring for over 4.7 million Palestinian refugees, and paid tribute to the 146 UNRWA employees killed in Gaza.
"UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response to the current crisis in the Gaza Strip, and it plays an essential role in the provision of necessary humanitarian services to the populations in the region," said Xavier Bettel in this context, assuring the Commissioner General of Luxembourg's continued support to UNRWA.
In Ramallah, Minister Bettel then held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki. The minister also had the opportunity to meet other leading figures from Palestinian society, including Mustafa Barghouti, President of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, and Hanan Ashrawi, a former Palestinian minister and the only woman to date to have been a member of the PLO Executive Committee.
The various meetings enabled an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as on the prospects for a two-state solution. With regard to the situation in Gaza, Luxembourg's head of diplomacy stressed the absolute need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
He reiterated Luxembourg's commitment to the two-state solution, which is the only way to guarantee a lasting and just peace. In this respect, the Minister condemned the Israeli government's settlement policy, one of the main obstacles to the two-state solution.
Finally, Minister Bettel also stressed the importance of organising democratic elections in Palestine in good time.
Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defense, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade