Barghouthi: "Israel is seeking the complete destruction of the Palestinian Authority and a return to a fully-fledged military occupation"
Ramallah, 24-05-07: An upsurge in the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed since the Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) took office in March is further evidence of Israel's lack of commitment to peace, said Palestinian Minster of Information, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi at a press conference held today in Ramallah.
Referring to Amnesty International's 2007 report on the state of human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories released yesterday, the Minster stated that the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed has skyrocketed from 4:1 in the first five years of the Intifada, to 30:1 in 2006, to a massive 67:1 since 17 March when the NUG was formed.
He stressed that the killing of any person, particularly civilians, regardless of their nationality, religion or political affiliation is reprehensible but added that the killing of 37 Palestinians, including 18 civilians and 8 children, in the Gaza Strip since 16 May alone compared to the killing of 1 Israeli in the same time period, clearly indicates that it is Israeli military violence that is fuelling this cycle of death.
Dr. Barghouthi also referred to the arrest of 33 Palestinians last night, including the Minister of Education, Nasser Ash-Sha’er, 3 legislators, and 6 mayors of West Bank towns, bringing the number of Palestinians arrested since 17 March to 860, and the number of Palestinian legislators in Israeli prisoners to 41.
He called the arrests “an assault against Palestinian democracy”, pointing out that all of those arrested are political and social figures with no involvement in military activities. He said that by such actions, Israel is seeking the complete destruction of the Palestinian Authority, a reversal of past peace agreements, and a return to a fully-fledged military occupation.
Dr. Barghouthi added that last night’s events represent an attack on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas himself through the arrest of ministers of his cabinet.
The Minister concluded by saying that this pattern of systematic attacks and violations, together with Israel's continued withholding of Palestinian tax monies and the complete absence of any constructive response to the NUG's call for a comprehensive, reciprocal ceasefire agreement, a prisoner exchange and its support of the Arab Peace Initiative, was yet further evidence of Israel's lack of commitment to real peace.
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