Prime Minister Emphasizes the Importance of Integrating Governmental and Civil Efforts to Enhance National and Community Resilience

Ramallah - Afaq News - Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa confirmed that facing the exceptional challenges faced by our Palestinian people, in light of the escalating assaults by the Israeli occupation and its settlers, and the continuous targeting of citizens and land, requires enhancing national and community resilience, unifying energies, and integrating national roles, in a way that preserves community cohesion and the ability of citizens to remain steadfast.

This came during his participation in a consultative session to enhance and unify governmental and civil efforts to solidify the national and community resilience of our people, organized today, Wednesday, in cooperation with the Social Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization, with the presence of members of the Executive Committee and ministers, and with the participation of more than 35 governmental and civil institutions, as well as representatives from the private sector and relevant bodies and organizations.

This session comes as part of national efforts aimed at transitioning from fragmented responses to crises to a comprehensive national approach for resilience, which combines the protection of citizens and land, enhancing social protection, ensuring the continuity of basic services, supporting the economy and local production, and strengthening the capacity of institutions and local communities to face crises and recover, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Mustafa pointed out that community resilience represents one of the essential elements in the upcoming phase, but it must be part of a broader national vision that includes continuing to build the state and its institutions and enhancing their ability to serve citizens, emphasizing that strengthening the community, social protection, and building institutions and the national economy are integrated pathways to achieve the national goal of freedom, independence, and living with dignity.

The Prime Minister stated that the current challenges have revealed weaknesses in the social protection system, some components of which have been built over the past years, stressing the need for a comprehensive review of it. He added: 'We need a solid, cohesive, and integrated social protection system that protects the community,' emphasizing that what is required is not partial reform of some components, but rather the development of a general framework, policies, and new tools capable of responding to the needs of the upcoming phase.

Mustafa emphasized the necessity of enhancing the components of the national economy, relying on local capabilities and production, and investing in human resources, education, and digital transformation, which strengthens the community's resilience and prepares it for rapid changes. He pointed out that building a stronger society requires the development of various elements of the national system, rather than merely responding to emergency circumstances.

Regarding the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister stressed, saying: "We do not want to lose Gaza," affirming that the sector faces an extremely difficult situation, and that enhancing the resilience of its people requires special national attention, continuous provision of services and possible support, which has never ceased, and working on its recovery and reconstruction within a unified national vision.

He stated that the Gaza Strip is an essential part of the homeland, and that preserving it and restoring its health is a national responsibility, emphasizing the need to unify efforts and coordinate among various parties, leading to the reintegration of the sector institutionally and service-wise within the unified Palestinian national framework.

He affirmed that what our people have lost during the past phase, in Gaza and the West Bank, should not be a cause for despair, but rather a motivation to rebuild on what has been achieved and to establish systems that are more capable of resilience.

For his part, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Secretary-General of the People's Party, Bassam Salhi, stated that the discussion is moving towards "how to rely on our internal structure to restore a state of resilience in the Palestinian economy," which enhances the community's and national economy's ability to face challenges and continue working and producing.

For her part, the Minister of Social Development, Samah Hamad, confirmed that "the main goal in these difficult times is to emphasize that resilience is no longer just a temporary response to crises, but an organized national capacity that protects the individual and the land, ensures the continuity of institutions and services, supports the economy and society, and links response to recovery and construction."

In this context, the Prime Minister's Advisor for International Relations, Izzat Abdul Hadi, called for one of the outcomes of the consultative session to be "a discussion or establishment of a concept around national resilience and its requirements, and how to translate this concept fundamentally into implementable policies and programs," which would allow for the construction of a shared national vision for resilience and community protection.

These consultations aim to enhance collective interventions at this sensitive stage, strengthen joint coordination, identify priorities, policies, and responsibilities, and transform the national dialogue on resilience into an actionable framework that enhances the protection of society and the land, strengthens social, economic, and institutional protection, and supports recovery in the Gaza Strip.