The PNI today issued a strong condemnation of yesterday’s kidnapping of Peruvian photographer, Jaime Razuri. Razuri had been covering a story for one of the largest French press agencies, Agence France Presse, when he was abducted by four unknown gunmen in Gaza City on Monday.

The Palestinian National Initiative today condemned plans announced yesterday by the Israeli Ministry of Defence to construct a new settlement in the Jordan Valley to house settlers removed from the former settlement of Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip during the ‘Disengagement’ in August 2005.

Palestinian Legislative Council member Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi was in the Gaza Strip last week visiting the Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh. Barghouthi discussed with the prime minister on Thursday ways to preserve the current shaky truce and to resume the dialogue regarding the formation of a national unity government.