Ramallah, 16-03-06: Recent days have witnessed a dangerous escalation in the already-fragile situation in Palestine. Israeli military invasions of the Jericho Prison and Jenin City, and its arrest of Palestinian Legislative Council members at a political debate in Jerusalem, represent yet another attempt by Israel to force a renewed cycle of overt violence in the region.
In the context of the run-up to Israeli elections, such manoeuvres would appear to be a cynical attempt by acting Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to win favour with voters and to boost flagging support for his Kadima party.
In Israel, such public displays of military ‘strength’ are designed to reassure Israelis that Olmert is not afraid to ‘get tough’ with Palestinians. In Palestine, they serve only to rupture the fragile ceasefire that has remained in place since January 2005, and which has been maintained since Hamas rode to power in January’s legislative elections.
And whilst the ensuing chaos on the Palestinian street diverts the world’s attention, Israel’s insidious unilateralism passes silently by.
Since the beginning of February, the Israeli government has announced that it will withhold customs and tax monies collected on behalf of the Palestinians, equal to US$ 50 million per month and roughly a third of the Palestinian Authority’s budget, in an effort to starve Palestinian society.
But most importantly, Ehud Olmert has announced that he will set the final borders of the Israeli state by 2010 based on the route of the ‘Separation Wall’, annexing the Jordan Valley and East Jerusalem – lands occupied in 1967 – as well as major, illegally built settlement blocs, to Israel.
The intervention and pressure of the international community represents the Palestinians’ only hope of reversing this process, and of reinstating a peace process based on mutual respect, justice and dialogue in order to avoid a situation of isolationism, deepening divisions, and bloodshed.
In this context, the Palestinian National Initiative urges supporters of Palestine and the Palestinian people to protest the Israeli government, and to call on members of the international community, to:
1. Seek an immediate end to Israeli escalatory military and political oppressive actions in Palestine; and
2. Call for an urgent, international peace conference to revive the moribund ‘peace process’, and to bring resolution of the conflict back to its basis in international law and peace agreements, and United Nations resolutions.
Urgent letters of protest can be sent to the following:
Israeli representatives:
Ehud Olmert
Acting Prime Minister of Israel
Tel: 00972-(0)2-6753286/6753740
Fax: 00972-(0)2-6243738
E-mail: eulmert@knesset.gov.il
Shaul Mofaz
Minister of Defence
Tel: 00972-(0)2-6496115/6496116
Fax: 00972-(0)2-6496545
E-mail: smofaz@knesset.gov.il
Israeli Ministry of Defence
Telephone: 00972-(0)3-6975540/6975423/6975349
Fax: 00972-(0)3-6976711
E-mail: pniot@mod.gov.il
Lieutenant General Dan Halutz
Chief of the General Staff, Israel Defence Forces
Contact via:
Public Appeals Section, Public Affairs Branch, IDF Spokesperson, military post 01025, Israel Defence Forces
Fax: 00972-(0)3-6080343
Email: info@mail.idf.il
Silvan Shalom
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tel: 00972-(0)2-6753231/6753285/5303506
Fax: 00972-(0)2-6753792
E-mail: sshalom@knesset.gov.il
US representatives:
Jacob Walles
Consul General
U.S. Consulate General, Jerusalem
18 Agron Road, Jerusalem 94190
27 Nablus Road, Jerusalem 94190
Tel: 00972-(0)2-6227230/6253288
Fax: 00972-(0)2-6259270
E-mail: uscongenjerusalem@state.gov / jerusalemacs@state.gov
Richard H. Jones
Ambassador
United States Embassy in Israel
71 Hayarkon Street
Tel Aviv 63903
Israel
Tel: 00972-(0)3-519575
ac5@bezeqint.net
Condoleezza Rice
US Secretary of State
Contact via:
Public Communication Division
PA/PL, Rm. 2206
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520
Tel: 001-202-6476575
George W. Bush
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20500
United States of America
Tel: 001-202-4561111
Fax: 001-202-4562461
E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
Salutation: Dear Mr. President
UK representatives:
Dr. John Jenkins
Consul General
British Consulate-General
19 Nashashibi Street
Sheikh Jarrah Quarter
P.O. Box 19690
East Jerusalem 97200
Tel: 00972-(0)2-5414100
Fax: 00972-(0)2-5322368
Email: britain.jerusalem@fco.gov.uk
Salutation: Dear Consul General
Simon Gerard McDonald CMG
Ambassador
192 Hayarkon Street
Tel Aviv 63405
Tel: 00972-(0)3-7251222
Fax: 00972-(0)3-5278574
E-mail: webmaster.telaviv@fco.gov.uk
Jack Straw MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH
Tel: 0044-020-72701500
E-mail: jack.straw@fco.gov.uk
Dr. Kim Howells
Minister of State for the Middle East
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH
Tel: 0044-020-72701500
E-mail: kim.howells@fco.gov.uk
European Union representatives:
Javier Solana
High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy
Council of the European Union
Rue de la Loi, 175 B-1048 Bruxelles
Tel: 0032-2-2856111
Fax 0032-2-2857397
Ursula Plassnik
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Minoritenplatz 8
A-1014 Wien
Tel: 0043-(0)5-01150-0
Fax: 0043-(0)5-01159-0
E-mail: ursula.plassnik@bmaa.gv.at
(Austria currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union)
Josep Borrell Fontelles
President of the European Parliament
Rue Wiertz
B-1047 Brussels
José Manuel Barroso
President of the European Commission
1049 Brussels
Belgium
E-mail: sg-web-president@cec.eu.int
Elmar Brok
Chairman
European Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs
60, rue Wiertz
B-1047 Bruxelles
Fax: 0032-(0)2-2849323
E-mail: ebrok@europarl.eu.int / ebrok@t-online.de
Jana Hybášková
Chairwoman
European Parliament, Delegation for Relations with Israel
60, rue Wiertz
B-1047 Bruxelles
Fax: 0032-(0)2-2849519
jhybaskova@europarl.eu.int
Adamos Adamou
Chairman
European Parliament, Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council
60, rue Wiertz
B-1047 Bruxelles
Fax: 0032-(0)2-2849964
aadamou@europarl.eu.int