Mayor Osaily briefs the French Consul General on the consequences of the continuous closure of Old City streets

During a meeting held at Hebron Municipality, Mayor Khaled Osaily explained to the French Consul General Mr. Frédéric Desagneaux the dangerous consequences entailed by the latest Israeli decision to extend the closure of 16 streets located in Hebron’s Old City. Mayor Osaily underscored the negative impact of such a decision on stability in Hebron as well as on economic activity and the freedom of movement of Palestinians.

The meeting was also attended by Mr. François Penguilly, Vice-Consul, members of Hebron’s Municipal Council and staff and Dr. Anwar Abou Eisha, Head of the Hebron-France Cultural Exchange Association.

At the beginning of the meeting, Osaily spoke about conditions in the Old City and violations committed against Palestinians and against the historic and human fabric of the city. He briefed Mr. Desagneaux -who was recently appointed as Consul General in Jerusalem and who is visiting Hebron for the first time- on the specific political context in Hebron as well as on Israeli security measures imposed on the city. Osaily also touched on French-Palestinian cooperation and thanked his guest for the French popular and official support during the International Conference which launched the “Hebron as a World Heritage of Humanity” Campaign held in Paris a few weeks ago.  Osaily spoke about the general economic conditions in Hebron which the Municipality seeks to promote by implementing development projects in various sectors while at the same time working to develop the organizational structure of Hebron Municipality and to improve services provided to citizens. Osaily also touched on the latest projects implemented in the fields of sports, culture and recreation as well as infrastructure projects supported by the French government through the French Development Agency (AFD).

Mr. Frédéric Desagneaux underlined the importance of bilateral cooperation between French and Palestinian municipalities as well as the importance of government cooperation efforts. He expressed his satisfaction over the high levels of cooperation between Hebron Municipality and a number of French municipalities including Paris, Belfort and Arcueil. He hoped to see further cooperation to help Palestinians and support efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in the region.

At the end of the meeting, Mayor Osaily accompanied his guest on a field visit to a number of joint projects implemented by Hebron municipality in cooperation with the AFD.