Palestinian PM Urges Global Pressure on Israel Over West Bank Violence
The appeal was made during a meeting between the premier and a senior European delegation in Ramallah, held on the sidelines of the eighth edition of the European-Palestinian Investment Platform.
Mustafa disclosed that attacks by Israeli occupiers tallied 1,659 in May alone, characterizing the relentless violence as "part of attempts to displace Palestinian residents and seize more land," according to a statement issued by his office.
He further warned that Israel's ongoing withholding of clearance revenues — taxes collected by Tel Aviv on goods imported into Palestinian territories on behalf of the Palestinian Authority — combined with a roughly 30% contraction in Palestinian GDP, had driven unemployment rates "to soar to unprecedented levels."
Israel has been deducting portions of those funds since 2019 under a succession of pretexts, and has withheld transfers entirely for over a year. The total amount now frozen exceeds $5 billion.
Mustafa pressed the European Union to deepen its engagement in relief and early recovery efforts, citing a worsening humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip and what he described as Israel's persistent violations of the ceasefire agreement in place since October 2025.
On the European side, delegation member Michael Karnitschnig, acting director-general of the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf, reaffirmed the EU's commitment to delivering both political and economic backing to Palestine, while firmly rejecting settler violence and unilateral Israeli actions.
Karnitschnig also underscored the importance of preserving the unity of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and upholding the legitimacy of the Palestinian political framework.
Jelsomina Villioti, vice president of the European Investment Bank, echoed that support, highlighting the bank's ongoing investment in the Palestinian economy across the private sector, infrastructure, and public services improvement.
Since October 2023, Israeli violence across the occupied West Bank has claimed 1,169 Palestinian lives, left 12,666 injured, resulted in nearly 23,000 arrests, and forced approximately 33,000 people from their homes, according to Palestinian officials.
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