The Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) called today on the Palestinian Authority to link its participation in the international peace meeting to be held this autumn to the implementation of three key preconditions by Israel.

Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, General-Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative has condemned the illegal Israeli military occupation of Ein Beit el Mar refugee camp in Nablus, during which 2 Palestinians have been killed and more than 15 injured. Dr Barghouthi underlined that one of the victims, a disabled man, was shot while sitting in his wheelchair at home.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative condemned Israel's attempts to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. He stated that the crossings at Rafah and Karni have now been closed for more than three months, and added that, apart from limited communication with Egypt, Gaza is now completely sealed off from the outside world.

Israel announced another of its "goodwill gestures" ahead of the US-sponsored peace meeting to be held in November with the release of 86 Palestinian prisoners since Monday. But the facts on the ground tell another story: since US President George Bush announced the meeting in a speech on 16 July 2007, Israel has killed 97 Palestinians, injured 383, arrested 1,050 and increased the number of checkpoints in the West Bank from 543 in August to 572 in September.