Prime Minister of Palestine demanded at COP31 an end to Israeli restrictions on climate action

Published at: 12/11/2026 02:47 PM

The Prime Minister of Palestine, Mohammad Mustafa, called on Thursday, November 12, 2026, for the immediate lifting of Israeli restrictions that prevent his people from accessing land, water and other natural resources, limiting their possibilities of adaptation to climate change.

During his speech on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas to the Leaders Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, the president stated that no people should be deprived of their right to sustainable development because of occupation or conflict.

According to information released by the Prensa Latina agency, the official explained that blockades resulting from the occupation aggravate the nation's environmental challenges and reported the presentation of the third version of his Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Summit Secretariat, focused on water management, intelligent agriculture and renewable energy.

Referring to the critical reality in the Gaza Strip, he described a convergence of humanitarian, environmental and climate crises, and specified: “The destruction of water, sanitation, energy systems, agricultural land and waste management facilities has aggravated health risks and reduced the population's ability to adapt.”

In addition, Mohammad Mustafa noted that meeting ecological goals requires eliminating obstacles to access to natural resources, ensuring accessible climate finance and facilitating technology transfer. In this regard, he called on the international community to support the recovery of Gaza by integrating environmental criteria, considering that the reconstruction of the enclave constitutes not only a humanitarian and development emergency, but also an opportunity to establish sustainable infrastructures based on clean energy and responsible waste management.

The Palestinian head of government said that climate change already has a direct impact on access to food, health and economic security, urging world leaders to move from rhetorical commitments to concrete measures.

Finally, he defended that climate justice should occupy a central place in international cooperation through equitable support for nations and communities that contribute the least to global emissions, but that suffer most intensely from their devastating consequences.

Mazo News Team