Wednesday 27 May 2009

Barghouthi: Netanyahu's talk about removing settlements misleading


Barghouthi: Netanyahu's talk about removing settlements misleading

[ 27/05/2009 - 01:01 PM ]

WEST BANK, (PIC)-- Palestinian lawmaker MP Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi said that the Israeli talk on removing a number of scattered and small colonies was meant to divert the world's attention from the a bigger Israeli scheme to "fatten" the large settlements.

"It is clear that Netanyahu wants to create media fabrication out of his statements on removing those small colonies while his government issued orders to construct 30,000 new settlement units since it took power last March", Barghouti pointed out in press statements he issued in Ramallah city.

He also shrugged off Israeli claims that the settlements were legitimate, stressing, "there is no such legitimate settlement and illegitimate settlement as settlement and occupation are both illegal".

He explained, "There were around 500,000 Israeli settlers settling in 126 settlements across the West Bank that Netanyahu plans to expand further, while 3,000 other settlers were living in 106 small colonies, out of which, Netanyahu says he would vacate only 26 of them in clear bid to give the existing settlement international legitimacy".

"He (Netanyahu) wants to beautify the ugly face of his extremist and racist government", underlined the Palestinian lawmaker.

Barghouthi also highlighted the necessity to expose the Israeli settlement schemes, adding that if the administration of US president Barack Obama was indeed serious in reaching two-state solution, then it must compel the Israeli occupation authorities to halt settlement activities.

He also explained that the PA leadership must exploit the decision of the International Court of Justice that illegalized the construction of the Israeli apartheid wall in the West Bank in 2004, and it should take that decision to the United Nation so as to issue a resolution obliging the Hebrew state to stop settlement construction and to halt building of the wall.

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