Saturday, 11 July 2009

Barghouthi: Our people insist on ending the longest occupation in modern history


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[ 11/07/2009 - 10:23 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi, the head of the Palestinian national initiative and a prominent Palestinian lawmaker, stressed Friday that the Palestinian people are determined to end the longest occupation in modern history and restore their freedom and independence.

These remarks came during the weekly anti-wall protest held in the village of Bil’in on the fifth anniversary of the decision issued by the international court of justice in The Hague which criminalized the construction of the apartheid wall and demanded Israel to tear it down.

Dr. Barghouthi highlighted that the Israeli military suppression practiced against the weekly popular protest organized in Bil’in would never deter the Palestinian people from continuing their struggle and resistance against the occupation, settlement, and the apartheid wall and would not intimidate international activists from showing their solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

He also hailed the anti-wall protests held in the Palestinian villages of Ni'lin, Shofa, Masarah, Yatta and all areas surrounded by the wall, and the steadfastness of their people against the Israeli policies of uprooting and judaization.

The lawmaker demanded, in his speech, to transfer the decision issued by the international court of justice to the UN in order to issue a resolution obliging Israel to stop its settlement activities and imposing deterrent sanctions against it.

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF), as usual, attacked the protesters in Bil’in using tear gas and waste water against the protesters which led to dozens of suffocation cases.

Local sources reported that the IOF troops kidnapped a Palestinian citizen called Adeeb Abu Rahma and an anti-wall activist called Rooney.

According to the popular committee against the wall and settlement, the organizer of the Bil’in protest, the IOF troops continued to invade the village of Bil’in kidnapping eight villagers and one international supporter last week. Local activists and international supporters responded to the nightly invasions by staying all night touring the village and stopping the troops from kidnapping more civilians.

In a related context, Aviv Rishav, an IOF commander in Ramallah said that the construction of the separation wall in the villages of Bil’in and Ni'lin was almost finished, adding that his troops were deployed along the fence to prevent Palestinians from approaching it.

During a similar anti-wall protest held on the same day in the village of Masarah, two Palestinian citizens were injured when IOF troops attacked the peaceful march with batons and rifle butts.

Several speeches delivered by participants stressed the need for enforcing the decision issued by the international court of justice in The Hague against the wall and called on the international community and the free people of the world to seriously move to end the Israeli apartheid system.

The IOF troops also attacked the weekly non-violent protest against the wall in Ni'lin village on Friday and it was reported that they kidnapped three local youths after beating them severely.

As the protesters were marching towards the wall, IOF troops attacked them with tear gas. Some people were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. Later on local young men retaliated and hurled stones on the troops, eyewitness reported.

In another context, the Islamic Jihad Movement warned that there is a real danger threatening the Palestinians of 1948 occupied lands.

“We see that it is the right time to sound the alarm of warning against the real danger which is threatening the 1948 Palestinians because the coming threat is serious and the Palestinian authority (PA) has to be aware of being sucked into this trap set by Netanyahu who is pushing the PA into recognizing Israel as a Jewish state prior to any agreement,” representative of Islamic Jihad in Lebanon Abu Imad Al-Rifa’ee told Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper.

Rifa’ee also described the government of Netanyahu as a war cabinet preparing to wage new wars in the region.

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