<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The governments of Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom announced this Friday the launch of the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority.</strong></h4> This coalition was established in response to the urgent and unprecedented financial crisis facing the Palestinian Authority and its immediate purpose is to stabilize the finances of the Palestinian Authority and preserve its capacity to govern, provide essential services, and maintain security, “all of which are indispensable to regional stability and preserving the two-state solution,” the twelve countries said in a joint statement. The coalition has attracted a large and diverse group of supporting countries and partners from across regions, many of which have already made significant financial contributions and pledged sustained support. “Our collective engagement demonstrates the broad international consensus on the need to prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and to uphold the foundations of peace,” the text continues. Short-term aid alone is not sufficient, warn the signatory countries. The coalition will therefore promote a sustainable, predictable, and coordinated approach, working with international financial institutions and key partners to mobilize resources, support ongoing governance and economic reforms, and ensure full transparency and accountability. The Foreign Ministers of the twelve countries demand that Israel immediately release all Palestinian clearance revenues and cease any measures that obstruct or weaken the Palestinian Authority or risk its collapse. They stressed that such actions threaten not only Palestinian livelihoods and institutional stability but also regional and international peace and security. The coalition is “open and inclusive and invites all states and international organizations to join this collective effort”. “Strengthening the Palestinian Authority’s financial foundations is, the Ministers affirmed, an investment in peace, stability, and security for Palestinians, Israelis, and the wider region”. “With this initiative, the coalition reaffirms our commitment to safeguarding the viability of the two-State solution and to advancing a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace”, they concluded.
