Ramallah, 16-10-08: Hundreds of demonstrators accompanied by a group of foreigners and led by Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, and Walid Assaf MP, and Deputy Muhib Awad removed the eight roadblocks which have been in place for seven years preventing farmers from the Al Mazra‘a village from reaching their lands and olive trees.
Said Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, "the popular non-violent movement succeeded in opening the roads between Al Mazra‘a and the olive farm fields by removing the dirt barriers put up by the occupation forces."
Dr. Barghouthi added that "the occupation forces came to the scene and tried to stop the protesters, but the insistence of the citizens resulted in the opening of the closed roads."
Dr. Barghouthi stated "The only way to confront Israeli facts on the ground is to impose Palestinian facts on the ground in a non-violent way".
Dr. Barghouthi hailed the protestors and the group of international and Israeli peace activists for their struggle against apartheid and occupation, and congratulated the demonstrators for succeeding in lifting the blockade and thereby helping the villagers of Al Mazra‘a to reach their lands for the harvest. "All the shuttle diplomacy of Condoleezza Rice and Tony Blair did not manage to remove these roadblocks, but the will of the people did."
Contacts:
Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi: 0599/ 201 528
Or: 0599/ 940 073