GAZA (PIC)– The PA unity government has unanimously endorsed the 10-point ceasefire initiative proposed by PA chief Mahmoud Abbas calling for a comprehensive reciprocal and simultaneous calm with the Israeli occupation government in Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The endorsement came during the government’s weekly session Monday in the aftermath of which PA information minister Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi affirmed “The government will support president Abbas’ efforts in achieving an inter-Palestinian understanding pertaining to the calm and it will call on Palestinian factions to sanction that understanding”.
“The PA government supports and encourages all Palestinian and Arab efforts that aim at enhancing Palestinian unity and deter any further inter-Palestinian fighting” Barghouthi underscored.
The initiative calls on Palestinian factions to stop firing homemade missiles at the Israeli settlements in return for Israel’s halting of sea land and air military operations against the Palestinians in addition to extending the calm to cover the West Bank and not only Gaza Strip.
It also stipulates that IOF troops must cease all assassination and arrest campaigns in both areas in addition to finding an acceptable solution to the problem of Palestinian captives wanted activists and those exiled by Israel in 2002.
A condition obliging Israel to free kidnapped Palestinian lawmakers and ministers withdrawing from areas reoccupied in 28/9/2000 and removing roadblocks in the West Bank was also included in the initiative.
The initiative furthermore urges the PA to gradually deploy elements of the PA National Security at the northern and eastern borders of the tiny Gaza Strip as a prelude to implement the endorsed PA security plan.
On the other hand Barghouthi deplored Israel’s rejection to the US benchmark plan adding that the Israeli rejection affirms that Israel wasn’t interested in achieving peace and stability in the region.
“In fact the Israeli occupation government doesn’t want peace as it refuses to deal with all initiatives proposed in this regard including a suggestion to remove 543 permanent roadblocks and more than 600 temporary barriers” the PA minister further underlined.
In addition Barghouthi confirmed his government’s absolute rejection of the IOA decision to place Dr. Nasser Al-Dein Al-Shaer and Wasfi Kabaha the PA education and state ministers respectively in addition to PLC lawmaker Abdul Rahman Zaidan under six-month administrative detention term.
Barghouthi asserted that a committee comprising PA foreign affairs minister information minister justice minister and captives’ affairs minister was formed to study legal media and political procedures the PA will take against the Israeli decision.
Moreover the PA minister welcomed the Amnesty International report that exposed Israel’s brutal practices against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The AI’s report accused Israel of gravely breaching international laws and conventions and urged it to immediately remove the apartheid separation wall that transformed the West Bank into geographically-disconnected cantons.
