Ramallah, 19-08-06: Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) head, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, today condemned the kidnapping of Palestinian Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Nasser Addin Ash-Sha'er.
Israeli troops broke into Ash-Sha’er’s house in Ramallah early Saturday morning, ‘arresting’ him in front of his family in the latest move by Israel to undermine democratically-elected Palestinian institutions. Dr. Ash-Sha’er has not been charged with any offence.
It follows the kidnapping of the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and 2 other PLC members by Israeli troops on 6 August, together with the kidnapping and continued detention without charge of 26 parliamentarians and several cabinet ministers on 29 June.
Dr. Barghouthi called for the immediate release of all 39 PLC members, together with the thousands of other Palestinian prisoners being held in detention in Israeli jails.
He called for the urgent formation of a national unity government on the basis of the National Reconciliation Document as the best response to these latest Israeli measures.