RAMALLAH, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh on Monday stressed the importance of maintaining a political and legal link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, calling for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to resume its full responsibilities in Gaza.
During a meeting with British and French diplomats in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, al-Sheikh "underscored the importance of moving forward with political efforts aimed at achieving stability, in a manner that ensures the return of the Palestinian Authority to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip," according to a statement.
Al-Sheikh said in the statement that he also "stressed the significance of political and legal linkage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip within the framework of the unity of land and institutions."
Meanwhile, Mohammed Abu al-Rub, director of the Palestinian government communication center, told reporters in Ramallah that the establishment of a Palestinian technocratic committee for Gaza represents "temporary transitional arrangements" aimed at halting "the killings and bloodshed and addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation."
Abu al-Rub said that the committee is "a temporary solution supported by the Palestinian leadership to thwart the occupation's plans to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank."
He added that the committee serves as "a humanitarian service tool to address health and environmental crises and a means of pressuring the occupation to move to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, paving the way for reconstruction under the umbrella of Palestinian legitimacy." ■
