the Birthday of His Majesty King Charles III

Your Excellency, Ms. Diane Corner,

Consul General in Jerusalem,

Distinguished guests,

 

Today, it is a great honor to gather here for the first time to celebrate the Birthday of His Majesty King Charles III. On behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people, I extend warm congratulations to His Majesty King Charles III, Her Majesty Queen Camilla, and the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as you commemorate His Majesty’s official birthday.

 We deeply appreciate His Majesty’s unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and the well-being of nations across the globe.

 Throughout our history, we have relied on the support and solidarity of individuals who champion the values of justice and equality, and we commend His Majesty for his continuous support towards achieving a just and lasting solution to end the Israeli occupation, and recognize the Palestinian state.

 We remain steadfast in our pursuit of a two-state solution, living in dignity and peace within our independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We look to His Majesty to uphold these principles and advocate for accountability on Israel’s violations and crimes.

  Ladies and Gentlemen,

I recently returned from a fruitful business trip to the UK, where I had the opportunity to engage with the Prime Minister’s trade envoy and the Minister of State for Trade Policies.

 We explored various avenues to enhance trade relations between Palestine and the UK. One pressing issue discussed was the UK’s negotiations with Israel for a trade agreement. It is imperative that such an agreement does not come at the expense of the Palestinians or compromise the legality of our bilateral agreement.

 Amidst the challenges posed by Brexit, we successfully negotiated and signed the Palestinian-British Interim Association    Agreement.  As a result, the Joint Committee has convened twice to discuss cooperation in trade, standards, customs, agriculture, and broaden the scope to include education services and business collaborations.

 However, the current trade value remains below $60 million, which does not accurately reflect the true figures due to Israel’s non-recognition of the Palestinian-British agreement. We urge the British government to exert pressure on Israel to acknowledge this agreement and enhance the legal and technical framework of the Palestinian-UK interim association agreement.

On this occasion, I would like to express our gratitude to the British government for its support through the Tasdeer project, which facilitates trade.

 Together, we have achieved numerous success stories, such as the container shipping initiative and the support provided in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Additionally, the IT UK hub in Jerusalem has played a vital role, enabling Palestinian startups to participate in London Technology Week.

 Your Excellency witnessed the distinguished Palestinian pavilion, which showcased startups from Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. This platform proved invaluable for networking and fostering joint business ventures.

 We aspire to replicate this experience across all Palestinian sectors, building on the achievements of the IT hub, and further deepening the close friendship between Palestine and the UK.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Michele Jilleh and Feras Naser for their invaluable support. Their dedication and commitment have been instrumental in our endeavors. As well as to extend my appreciation to the Tasdeer team.

On this special day, I extend my sincere wishes of peace, prosperity, and good health to His Majesty the King and the British people in the year ahead. May His Majesty’s reign continue to inspire positive change, foster understanding, and advance the cause of peace in our region and beyond.   Thank you.