Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh Meets with New European Union Representative and Discusses Political Developments

Ramallah—September 24, 2026—His Excellency Hussein Al Sheikh, Vice President of the State of Palestine, received today, Thursday, the new European Union Representative to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, H.E. Ambassador Andreas Fiedler, accompanied by the Head of the Political Section at the EU Representative Office, Mr. Johan Fredborn Larsson, and Political Advisor Mr. Shadi Othman.

Al Sheikh welcomed H.E. Ambassador Fiedler as he assumed his new duties, expressing his appreciation for the European Union’s positions toward the political track, the State of Palestine, the Palestinian people, our people in the Gaza Strip, and reform efforts.

Al Sheikh reviewed the difficult political, security, and economic situation in the West Bank, amidst escalating settler terror and settlement expansion, control over Area C, the increase in checkpoints and closures, in addition to the continued withholding of Palestinian funds.

During the meeting, Al Sheikh emphasized that the reform program remains ongoing despite these circumstances, particularly in the political, financial, and judicial sectors, as a national priority to strengthen state institutions and the rule of law.

Al Sheikh stressed the importance of holding elections as a national political issue and a necessity for preserving the unity of the Palestinian people and territory, the unity of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinian legislation and institutions, while underscoring the need to ensure the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.

He also highlighted the importance of focusing on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the need for the Palestinian National Authority to resume its responsibilities there, in a manner that preserves the unity of the Palestinian political, geographic, and legal systems.

For his part, Ambassador Fiedler affirmed the European Union's readiness to support the conduct of the elections, the importance of reform, and the continuation of European efforts to support the reform program and strengthen Palestinian institutions, stressing the continued communication and coordination with the Palestinian side.