Ramallah, 03-10-07: The Israeli government‘s determination to relocate its Jerusalem police headquarters to occupied West Bank land on which its largest settlement is built is yet the latest example of Israel‘s duplicity in implementing policies on the ground that contradict its public declarations as a willing partner for peace, said PNI leader Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi today.
Israel‘s Public Security Minister Avi Dichter was reported in the Ha‘aretz newspaper as saying that the police headquarters will be moved to the so-called "E-1" area linking Jerusalem with the illegal West Bank settlement of Ma‘ale Adumim by the end of this year, in contravention of international law under which all of Israel‘s 133 settlements and their associated infrastructure are deemed illegal.
The move will slice the West Bank in two and will sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, preventing the territorial contiguity of any future Palestinian state, and precluding the designation of East Jerusalem as the capital of such a state. This would spell the end of a viable two-state solution.
Dr. Barghouthi underlined that Israel has sought in recent days to brighten its public image ahead of a US-sponsored peace meeting in November by releasing paltry numbers of the more than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners it is currently holding in its jails. Yet it continues its direct, daily attacks against the Palestinian people, actively undermining the creation of a viable, sovereign Palestinian state.
He added that this move by the Israeli government to consolidate and expand its settlement enterprise was just the latest example of such attacks, citing Israel‘s ongoing campaign of killing, injuring and arresting Palestinians whilst increasing the number of movement restrictions in the West Bank.
From 16 July when US President George Bush announced the November peace meeting to 3 October, the Israeli military has killed 100 Palestinians (18 in the West Bank; 82 in the Gaza Strip; 12 children), injured 385 (219 in the West Bank; 166 in the Gaza Strip; 54 children), arrested 1,058 (984 in the West Bank; 47 in the Gaza Strip; 52 children), and set up 29 additional military checkpoints in the West Bank.
In the meantime, Israel is threatening to step up its ongoing, unprecedented siege of Gaza one more notch, deepening its collective punishment of Gaza‘s 1.5 million inhabitants under the pretence of its recent declaration of the Strip as an "enemy entity", a label which has no basis in international law.
Therefore, Dr. Barghouthi urged members of the international community to protect the Palestinian people and uphold international law under their obligation as High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention.
He said that "Israel‘s behaviour is in no way consistent with preparations for peace," and concluded that there is currently no Israeli partner for peace.