Drafting Committee of the Interim Constitution: We salute the countries that recognized the State of Palestine... and we affirm our commitment to moving forward with the completion of the interim state constitution.

The Committee for Drafting the Temporary Constitution praised the stance of all the countries that announced their recognition of the State of Palestine during this month, during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly and at the two-state solution conference. It commends their supportive position for the Palestinian cause and their efforts to protect the two-state solution and the peace process in the region.

This was stated in a statement issued following a meeting of the Committee for Institutionalization of Governance, Local Administration, Public Administration, and Security Agencies, which was held at the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Ramallah, with the attendance of several governmental institutions and bodies, as well as leaders of the security agencies.

The committee stated in its statement that the recognition by Britain, Portugal, France, and several other countries of the State of Palestine, and its joining over 140 countries that recognize Palestine, is a correction of the global understanding of the peace process in the Middle East, and a fundamental step supporting the implementation of the two-state solution and achieving a just and comprehensive peace that encompasses all the peoples of the region.

The committee added that this is a historic moment that crowns an important phase in the long struggle undertaken by the Palestinian leadership, headed by His Excellency President Abu Mazen, may God protect him, to establish the Palestinian identity worldwide and to safeguard the rights of our people, foremost among them their right to self-determination in their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of refugees. In this context, it thanked both France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their continuous support and efforts made to hold the conference and the resulting recognitions of the State of Palestine.

The committee emphasized the importance of national preparations for the implications of international developments and the recognitions received by the State of Palestine, including the ongoing preparations to finalize the drafting of the temporary constitution for the State of Palestine within three months.

Regarding the work of the Constitution Committee, the attendees affirmed the importance of the provisions related to institutionalizing national institutions, enhancing the principles of good governance, and the evolving standards in building systems, regulations, rights, and national duties. At the conclusion of its meeting, the committee adopted three specialized subcommittees: local governance and public administration, security agencies, and governmental institutions and bodies, which will immediately commence their work on the constitutional provisions related to the entities referred to in the names of the three committees, reviewing previous drafts of the constitution, with the aim of drafting the constitutional provisions related to their competencies and incorporating them into the temporary constitution. These committees will be formed in coordination with the relevant parties for each committee.