Ramallah – Ma’an – “Building the road to the establishment of an independent state will not be furnished with flowers,” Palestinian Prime Minister of the caretaker government in Ramallah Salam Fayyad said Wednesday.

Fayyad spoke at a ceremony where Palestinian agricultural institutions signed a memorandum of understanding with the caretaker Ministry of Agriculture, in line with Fayyad’s plan to build all necessary state institutions ahead of the independent declaration of a Palestinian state in two years. The ceremony came as increasing criticism of the Palestinian Authority turned into calls for the resignation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who re-appointed Fayyad to the position of caretaker Prime Minister in April.

During the ceremony Fayyad reiterated the desire of the Palestinian Authority and all of the ministers in his cabinet to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. He also noted continuing efforts by the Ministry of Justice to push forward and activate the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague calling for dismantling of Israel’s separation wall.

The forum for the comments, also one of the first public appearances of Fayyad since the Goldstone report debacle began, was the official signing of an agreement that will see a renewed focus of Palestine’s agricultural sector, particularly areas designated Area C, and controlled entirely by Israel.

Fayyad described the agreement as pushing forward a “genuine desire because we are one [people] and we have the same interests,” he explained that the agreement would help establish a regulatory framework which will contribute in the development of the PNA’s work and raise efficiency.

Present at the ceremony were caretaker Minister of Agriculture Minister Ismail Deik, representative of agricultural institutions Dr Isaac Jad, and Fayyad.