Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh: We Will Not Return To Negotiations – We Have No Partner For Negotiations In Israel; Western Countries Are Looking For A Pretext To Resume UNRWA Funding

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said in a February 3, 2024 interview on Sky News Arabia [UAE] that Palestinians will not return to negotiations with Israel. He said that 30 years of negotiations were enough, and the Palestinians have no partners in Israel. Shtayyeh continued to say that Palestinians seek a "clear international recognition" of the State of Palestine, and it should be accepted as a member of the United Nations. He further said that he believes that the freezing of UNRWA funding is a temporary measure, and the rest of the countries will return to funding it, and this will "serve as a political slap in the face of the Israeli government."

Mohammad Shtayyeh: "We have no partner in Israel. Therefore, we are saying that 30 years of negotiations are enough. We do not think any of us would return to the negotiations, because, like I have said, we have no partner, but also our number-one priority right now is for the international community, which is talking about the two-state solution, to come down from the roof to the door. In other words, don't tell me to go back to the negotiations.

"Today, we want a clear international recognition of the state of Palestine. We want this done by the U.S. and Europe, and then we want Palestine to be accepted as a member state in the UN, after over 12 years of being an ‘observer state.’ Some countries – first and foremost France and Canada – informed us directly that they had already paid their dues for 2023, and now it is only the beginning of February 2024. Therefore, the payments for 2024 will be renewed, in order to strengthen the role played by UNRWA.

"Honestly, some countries said: We used to pay 30 [million], but now we pay 60. This means that this measure is temporary, and therefore, I asked Mr. Lazzarini and all the heads of UNRWA to expedite the measures they said they wanted to take – a committee of inquiry and so on – because this world is looking for a pretext to backtrack from this. Some countries already have, and I believe that the rest of the countries will return to funding UNRWA, and this will serve as a political slap in the face of the Israeli government."