|
Top Palestinian Envoy Says Israeli Attacks Delay Peace Process |
|
|
Friday, 9 January 2009The top Palestinian envoy in Turkey said on Friday that Israeli attacks were delaying peace process.
Nabil Maarouf, the Palestinian ambassador to Turkey, defined the Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip as a "humanitarian attack, war crime and state terrorism", and said that they hit a stroke on the independence dreams of the Palestinians.
The attacks were delaying the peace process in the region, Maarouf told a conference in the Foundation for Political, Economic & Social Research (SETA) in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
Maarouf argued that Israel was fighting against the independence dream of every civilian Palestinian, not against Hamas.
The developments in Gaza were fading the dream of a two-state solution, the ambassador said.
Maarouf said that no progress had been made since 1994, when the Oslo agreement was signed, and the delay in ensuring peace caused several problems in the region.
The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles (DOP) was a milestone in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was the first direct, face-to-face agreement between Israel and political representatives of Palestinians. It was intended to be a framework for the future relations between Israel and the anticipated Palestinian state, when all outstanding final status issues between the two states would be addressed and resolved in one agreement.
The ambassador said that the settlements Israel established in Gaza and West Bank since 1994 were up by 38-folds, Israel built a wall and annexed 58 percent of Palestinian territories to its own territory, and raised its check-points over 600.
Maarouf said that Israeli army was killing five or six Palestinians and arresting 30 people in West Bank every day, and the division in Palestine faded the hopes of the Palestinians.
The division among Palestinians also served interests of Israel, the ambassador argued.
Maarouf also argued that Israel did not want to end Hamas, and its intentions were against "the cause and dream of the Palestinians."
The ambassador wished that all parties would obey the United Nations (UN) Security Council call for an urgent and lasting cease-fire in Gaza.
Maarouf said that the most important thing for the Palestinians was a cease-fire, permission for humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people and reconstruction of Gaza.
Turkey had launched several initiatives to reach a compromise among regional countries in recent years, and hoped that those initiatives would build bridges among the Palestinians, Maarouf said.
Maarouf also said that circles having contact with Hamas should suggest Hamas that it should not undertake the Palestinian administration on its own, and establish partnerships.
The ambassador said that Hamas was adopting an ideologic regime and it was accepted neither by the international community nor neighboring countries.
Establishing such a regime would pose a threat for neighboring countries, particularly Egypt and Jordan, Maarouf said.
Maarouf said that nobody wanted to annihilate Hamas but Hamas should be convinced to set up partnerships, and a unity government should be formed in Palestine.
More than 700 people have been killed and around 3,000 others were injured since the beginning of Israeli offensive against Gaza on December 27, 2008.
|
Friday, 9 January 2009
Ma'an News
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LATEST NEWS
FROM MIDDLE EAST |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MOST VISITED NEWS (DAILY) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
