Palestinian Legislator, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, stated on Wednesday that the Israeli decision to consider the Gaza Strip as a hostile entity is considered a declaration of war against the Palestinian people, and a collective punishment.
Dr. Barghouthi added that this decision is considered a direct attempt to cause failure to the upcoming peace conference, and another Israeli attempt to keep the Palestinian territories isolated and divided in order to foil any attempt to create an independent Palestinian State.
He stated that these attempts also aim at barring the Palestinians from self determination and from building there country.
Furthermore, Dr. Barghouthi added that this decision should motivate the Palestinians and all factions to unite and counter the Israeli attempts to destroy their ambitions.