Rami Hamdallah, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA) government in Ramallah, on Thursday called on European Union (EU) countries to adopt the political initiative presented by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas in his speech to the UN Security Council earlier this week.
Doing so, he argued, would result in a "just peace" that will be “implemented in accordance with international legitimacy, including ensuring the rights of our people to freedom, return and self-determination."
Speaking during a meeting in Ramallah with ambassadors and representatives of EU countries, Hamdallah also urged Europe to invest in Area C of Judea and Samaria, which is under full Israeli control.
According to Hamdallah, European investment in Area C will help create new jobs, especially in view of the decline in external aid.
He also asked EU countries to support vital projects in Gaza, and first and foremost to help finance the construction of a desalination plant, a gas project and the construction of 100 schools.
In recent years, thousands of Arab buildings have been built illegally in Area C, many of them by European NGOs with funding from the European Union.
Over the last few years, Israel has several times demolished these structures, raising the ire of the EU, which late last year demanded that Israel compensate it for the demolitions.