Ramallah, 05-06-07: Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi held a press conference to brief reporters on the outcomes of the Palestinian Authority’s weekly cabinet session.
The Spokesperson revealed that the government has endorsed a 10-point agreement between the Palestinian factions seeking a comprehensive, simultaneous and reciprocal ceasefire with Israel. He distributed the text of the agreement to reporters, which follows below:
Text of the 10-Point Agreement for a Comprehensive, Simultaneous and Reciprocal Ceasefire
**Begins**
The undersigned Palestinian factions undertake to achieve and implement the following agreement for the interest and peace of the Palestinian people:
1) Palestinian groups will stop firing rockets on Israel.
2) Israel stops military operations and offensives including air strikes, ground offensives and naval attacks.
3) The ceasefire will expand to include the West Bank.
4) This agreement will be implemented as soon as the parties accept it.
5) Israel stops arrests, extrajudicial killings and assassinations of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
6) The issue of wanted and deported persons, as well as the issue of prisoners should be solved according to a clear-cut agreement.
7) Israel will release detained and abducted ministers and PLC members.
8) The agreement will include an Israeli withdrawal from areas occupied since 28 September 2000.
9) Removal of roadblocks and checkpoints in the West Bank and the easing of passage through crossings.
10) Following the implementation of the first and second points of the agreement, the PA shall deploy security forces at the eastern and northern borders of the Gaza Strip, and will implement the security plan to establish the rule of law and order.
**Ends**
Dr. Barghouthi told reporters that the national unity government also discussed the issue of abducted ministers and elected MPs being held in Israeli prisons after the Israel announced that it was placing two Palestinian ministers and an ex-Minster and Legislative Council member under six-month administrative detention. He condemned this move as an assault on Palestinian democracy, human rights and efforts to achieve calm and a ceasefire in the region. He added that this was a further attempt by Israel to foil and hinder the work of the Palestinian national unity government, but said that the government will work to overcome these obstacles and that it will continue seeking peace and calm.
Dr. Barghouthi said that Israel’s use of the administrative detention policy is based on a British Mandate emergency law of 1945 which is totally incompatible with international standards of human rights and democratic principles.
The Minister expressed disappointment over Israel’s rejection of the US security plan and the removal of checkpoints. He stressed that this was indicative of Israel’s desire to maintain its matrix of movement restrictions in the West Bank, which include some 543 permanent checkpoints in addition to over 600 ‘flying’ checkpoints.
He also welcomed the report issued by Amnesty International on the state of human rights in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a true reflection of facts on the ground, and as an accurate portrayal of Israel’s occupation practices.
He also welcomed Arab and internal Palestinian efforts to consolidate national unity and revealed that the government has taken several more steps towards this, including the allocation of resources needed to implement the security plan to establish the rule of law and maintain public order.
Finally, Dr. Barghouthi said that the government expects strong international support for the Palestinian call for a comprehensive, reciprocal, simultaneous ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He added that the government is calling for international efforts to prevent Israel’s rejection of this peace initiative in the interest of peace in the region.