Palestine and Germany signed today a joint cooperation agreement, in which Germany pledged to support the Palestinian government with about 100 million euros during the next two years to finance projects in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

The German funding will support vital projects in the following sectors: local government and municipalities, including the Palestinian communities in Area C, the basic and higher education sector, especially vocational and technical education, the water and sanitation sector, renewable energy and agriculture, the economic sector and the employment sector, especially youth and women, and the private sector.

Prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh expressed during a press conference following the annual consultations between Palestine, headed by the premier’s office, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, his appreciation and thanks to the government and people of Germany for their generous and continuous support and continuing commitment to the rights of the Palestinian people to liberation, independence, and to establish their independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return for refugees.

“We hope our friends in Germany, the European Union, and the international community will help put pressure on Israel to allow elections to be held in all the Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem,” said Shtayyeh, congratulating Germany on their national holiday, the Day of German Unity.

For his part, the representative of Germany to Palestine, Oliver Owcza, praised the historical relations and bilateral relations between Palestine and Germany, reiterating his country’s support for a negotiated two-state solution, holding elections in Palestine, and respecting human rights and public freedoms.

T.R.

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