Fayot (LSAP) met with Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh in Ramallah to discuss the general situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the role of cooperation in improving the resilience of the Palestinians. Meetings were also held with foreign affairs minister Riad Al-Maliki and finance and planning minister Shoukry Bishara to talk about Luxembourg’s current support in terms of development cooperation and humanitarian aid and on potential avenues for strengthening support at the level of cooperation.
In the Bethlehem region, Fayot visited two primary schools, one in Dura, supported by the NGO Handicap International Luxembourg, which aims to facilitate equitable access to education for children with disabilities, and another in Tal Al-Rabee supported by the local NGO Teacher Creativity Center.
During a visit to the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, Fayot was able to get an overview of the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The minister also took the opportunity to meet with the local partner of ONGD ASTM, Al-Rowwad, which creates cultural activities aimed at improving the well-being of young people at the camp.
Fayot also popped in to a vocational training centre in Hebron, supported by local NGO Palestinian Agricultural Development Association, which also aims to rehabilitate people with disabilities and help their professional, social, psychological development.
The minister talked with President of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society Dr. Mustapha Barghouthi too, on the situation of the Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron and to visit their “safe space” centre for women and people facing gender-based violence.
The visit provided an opportunity to discuss with the International Committee of the Red Cross on International Humanitarian Law in the Occupied Territories, and to gain a better understanding from the representatives of the West Bank Protection Consortium of the demolitions, evictions and forced transfers many locals face.
On the sidelines of the visit, Fayot also met with Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, head of mission of the European Union in Palestine, Oliver Rousselle, head of office of the DG European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) in Palestine, and Francesco Totaro from the European Investment Bank in the West Bank and Gaza. He also attended a working dinner with representatives of the local Coalition for Accountability NGO and Integrity, the national chapter of Transparency International.