Ramallah, 27-06-07: Palestinian National Initiative head Dr. Mustafa
Barghouthi today condemned the killing of 11 Palestinians by Israel in
2 separate attacks in the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning. He said that
coming after the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting between Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday, these
attacks further demonstrated Israel‘s lack of commitment to a genuine
peace.
11 Palestinians were killed when the Israeli army launched a ground
incursion and air strikes on the Gaza Strip today. Israeli tanks
invaded Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing 4 men and wounding many
others. Witnesses reported Israeli soldiers using Palestinian
civilians as human shields in a flagrant violation of both Article 28
of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and Israeli law itself.
In the second attack, Ra‘ed Fannouna was assassinated when Israeli war
planes and helicopters launched a strike on the car in which he was
travelling in Gaza City. Three other civilians were injured in the
attack. Such killings are a form of extra-judicial execution and are
illegal under Article 3 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Furthermore,
assassinations are wilful killings and thus qualify as a war crime
under Article 147 in the Convention.
A further 2 men were killed in armed clashes with Israeli soldiers,
while an Israeli airstrike on the Shaja‘iyya neighbourhood of Gaza
City killed another 4 people including 3 civilians, of whom 1 was a
9-year-old child.
Dr. Barghouthi said that through such actions, Israel is seeking to
exploit current internal divisions in order to further its agenda of
consolidating the complete separation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
thereby undermining the creation of a viable Palestinian state within
1967 borders. He added that the contradiction between Israel‘s
so-called "goodwill gestures" at the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting and
today‘s attacks further demonstrates the lack of an Israeli partner
for peace.